Creative with plywood

Having to host a large party at home, Roberto Gil decided to get creative rather than hire an expensive marquis for the event. He built an enclosure out of marine plywood and transparent plastic sheet.

 

The challenge to this project was to cover a span of just over 4 metres with plywood that is only 2.7 metres long. To allow for this, Roberto cut strips of plywood to 100mm wide  and joined them with a small piece of plywood and screws. Each strip was then bent in an arch shape using a very thin steel cable. The bow shaped arches are very light and yet very strong because they are holding the internal tension produced by the chord.

 

 

It took only two days to assemble the entire structure, as all the parts were prefabricated before assembly. Six columns support the arches and between the columns Roberto fitted shelves and a counter top.

I like this idea so much and see potential for building an easy outdoor room for a garden using the same process. If you cover the structure with a waterproof fabric, and mount on a solid base, you can substitute marine plywood with shutterply - as long as you can find a decent batch.

For a permanent structure you might want to think about installing a canvas over the frame rather than plastic.

 

 

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