At the JEC Group "The Future of Composites in Construction" event presented Janicki Industries, partnered with Optima Projects Ltd, with an award for their innovative design in construction.

Janicki Industries created a free-form structural roof made of thick Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) for a large private residence. The finished inner and outer surfaces as well as the primary structure of the roof are composed of composite material sandwiched around a foam core. The composite roof is self-supporting and eliminates the majority of vertical steel columns. This allowed for up to 40 foot unsupported cantilevers over exterior glazing with integrated soffits.

The cores are produced from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam made from recycled water bottles, which are machined into complex forms and bonded together into very large subassemblies. The roof structure is made of 28 parts and covers 6,700 square feet.

Large advantages of this innovation are that the overall cost and build time were reduced with the elimination of conventional tooling. In addition, the lightweight, self-supporting nature of the roof reduced supporting structure, saving further costs and providing a more open interior space.

Vice President, Andy Bridge, says, "Our ability to create organic shaped roofs for residences is the key to providing expansive open inner spaces that people love." "We have a simple interlocking design that makes the roof self-supporting."

Janicki Industries | www.janicki.com