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10 Encased: historical documents on tour

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12 Encapsulated: weather tower with PLEXIGLAS shell ®

18 Enticing: sweet dreams are made of this

20 Enlightened: LED design for car salesrooms

Magazine of the Acrylic Polymers Business Line

Elegance Cruise ships always have a very special aura, with a beauty, class and character all of their own. More and more often, PLEXIGLAS is in on the act. Combined with color and light, it creates an elegant ambience, particularly through interior design, and makes for an out-of-the-ordinary experience. ®

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Dear Readers: Cruise ships are symbolic of perfect holidays. Often, PLEXIGLAS® is on board, in ceiling and wall elements, doors and staircases on the gigantic vessels built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in the North German town of Papenburg. PLEXIGLAS® adds an invigorating and characteristic touch to interior design, and has carved a firm place for itself on these majestic oceangoers, where it is used in a huge variety of shapes and colors. The solar honeycomb façade of an energy-plus house is concerned with function rather than design. The special feature of the house is that it revolves through 180 degrees in the course of the day, according to the altitude of the sun. Architect Erwin Kaltenegger chose PLEXIGLAS® to build the solar façade because of the material's high light transmission, which is unimpaired even ten years later. In the Austrian town of Hall, architect Niedrist needed to satisfy optical requirements first and foremost. He therefore decided to equip a building with a solar façade featuring foldable sun blinds made of PLEXIGLAS SATINICE®. They provide reliable sun screening while letting enough diffuse light into the building. The topic of illuminated signs also has architectural relevance. Here, light-emitting diodes (LED) are conquering the market. Japanese luxury car manufacturer Lexus placed LEDS behind sheets of PLEXIGLAS truLED® in South Africa. Tubes made of PLEXIGLAS® and store fixtures made of PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® have found an equally tasteful place for themselves. The sweet shop in the Hungarian town of Dunavarsány-Ero˝spuszta makes many a heart beat faster, not just among children. This dulcet realm of chocolate, butterscotch and candy sticks transports adults too back to their childhood dreams. I hope these stories get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy your read!

A Moment in Time

An army of bottles seems to be marching upwards on glowing green terrain. It's a long way to the top, as the upper echelons go to show. But every bottle finds its place. The location is the Fashion TV Bar in South Africa, where the bottles stand on edge-lit PLEXIGLAS SATINICE®. RGB-LEDs bathe the shelves in a variety of changing colors. Guests at the bar, which extends over several stories, are also cocooned in an all-round color experience, because the LEDs on the ceilings and walls switch color in the same rhythm.

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Michael Träxler, Senior Vice President Acrylic Polymers BL

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Holograms hover in space: The HoloCube made of PLEXIGLAS® enables companies to show prototypes to a wider public prior to production.

Almost Weightless New presentation technology conquers the market

[Innovation] A mobile phone appears to be suspended in mid-air. Not even a gossamer thread can be seen, almost like a conjuror's trick or something out of Starship Enterprise. Only at second glance do viewers recognize the illusion. What appears like hocus pocus from a distance turns out to be a hologram. Visitors to the exhibition booth are amazed and eager to find out how the image is formed. A three-dimensional object hovers in a classicist box. To add to the effect, the object revolves around its own axis and can be viewed in detail from all sides. The hologram and the cubic form are characteristic and give the technology its name: HoloCube. This has only been on the market for about one year and has already been adopted by a number of major companies. Nike, Nokia, BlackBerry, FNAC, Logitech and others use it to present their products (new models and prototypes for example, of which only a few copies have so far been produced) at trade shows. Perspective is a figment of the brain Belgian designer and product developer Joris Vanbriel, who presented his invention for the first time at the Milan “That’s design” exhibition in April 2007, jealously guards the secret of how exactly HoloCube works. But we are allowed a certain amount of insight. Vanbriel takes advantage of a sensory delusion. We only perceive several levels in space because our eyes are close together. Each eye sees its own picture from a different perspective - only the brain combines these impressions and enables us to judge distances correctly. Vanbriel makes use of this phenomenon. A camera installed inside the HoloCube on its base, facing upwards, casts a two-dimensional picture onto a transparent mirror. This is attached to the top front edge and rear bottom edge of the housing at a 45 degree angle. The special material acts as a projection surface for the images that are stored on the HoloCube's 40 gigabyte hard disk. Depending on whether the object is a photo or a video, it stands still or revolves in space.

It appears three-dimensional to the viewer, although the original picture the camera casts onto the mirror is an ordinary television picture. Only the mirror material and its inclination give the image its deep-view effect, causing the brain to perceive the image in three dimensions.

Perfect view of virtual products The production company B.A.G. Plastics uses black and white PLEXIGLAS® in different thicknesses, both matte and glossy, for the elegant and sophisticated design of the exterior housing. "We opted for PLEXIGLAS® because we can fabricate it most easily. PLEXIGLAS® also enables us to keep the weight of the HoloCube down and thus reduce transport costs for end customers around the globe," says Bart Timmers, Project Engineer at B.A.G. Plastics in the Belgian town of Beringen. The company is considered a specialist for technical fabrication and forming of plastic materials. The company's founders, husband and wife Rudy Geerts and Hilde Beerten, began their business in a small attic studio. Meanwhile, B.A.G. Plastics has 30 employees. Their expertise extending over more than 20 years now comes to the fore when producing the HoloCube. The individual sections are first cut out of a satin sheet using a laser, which removes the elements cleanly from the sheet. Afterwards, the components are heated and curved to provide the desired angles. "The bending radius has to be exactly the same in order to fit the parts together later on," Timmers explains. That is necessary in order to bond the components to form a stable cube, in this case using the adhesives ACRIFIX® 2R190, ACRIFIX® 1S106 and ACRIFIX® 1S107. "Unlike other materials, PLEXIGLAS® is a joy to machine. Lasering, bending, seamless bonding and high-gloss polishing are no problem. In particular, the view of the product is perfectly clear." More than 100 HoloCubes have already been built and sold worldwide. cat

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High Life on the High Seas ®

Shipyards and outfitters are fond of PLEXIGLAS to create pleasant color and lighting effects on cruise liners

[Design] Seen from outside, cruise ships are towering hulks of steel, as tall as a skyscraper and as long as a sports arena. From the Cape of Good Hope to the North Cape, from the Caribbean to the Black Sea, they are always a majestic sight and reap admiration in all of the world's major ports of call. Cruise ships are growing more elegant and better equipped all the time. Competition is spurring them on to ever greater heights, as more and more join the race to the top. This sector is flourishing and tour operators have been recording growth in cruise bookings for a number of years. Shipyards are turning out new cruise ships in quick succession, and one material is increasingly in demand for designing their interiors: PLEXIGLAS®. Margrit Lind confirms this trend, and she should know. Together with her husband, she runs the Malicryl company in the North German town of Rhauderfeyn. This PLEXIGLAS® fabricator supplies the Meyer Werft shipyard that builds gigantic cruise liners in nearby Papenburg, and sends them out to tour the world via the River Ems to the North Sea, a breathtaking spectacle with great media impact. People who check in on one of these leviathans of the seas do more than just head for foreign climes and an unforgettable vacation, they also enter a world of modern interior design. Here, innovation is paired with grace. From shapes and colors to materials, nothing is left to chance. There is no room for compromises. Cruise ships are luxury hotels put to sea. Everything has to meet the highest demands – noblesse oblige on the oceans too. Elegant ambience conducive to well-being A tour of one of these modern oceangoers shows the variety of applications for PLEXIGLAS®. Especially in the public areas of the ships, where people come to dine, celebrate, simply enjoy the trip or do some shopping, this material is part of the modern, high-quality interior design. Ceiling and wall elements, tables, paneling in seats, doors and stairs as well as store fixtures all incorporate the material. Malicryl also made the clear barrier around a children's swimming pool from PLEXIGLAS®. "One of the reasons why the material is so prized at Meyer Werft

shipyard is the optical effects that can be achieved with PLEXIGLAS®," Margrit Lind explains. These include the variety of colors and forming options and the surface, which can be matte, glossy or textured. Classy colors and designs with PLEXIGLAS® are always in demand. The fact that it is extremely tough and hard-wearing is an added bonus for outfitting ships.

Playing with light and color "Often, the material's ability to guide light plays a special role," says Margrit Lind and estimates that roughly 80 percent of the installed PLEXIGLAS® is combined with lighting effects for added glamour and atmosphere inside the ship. Colored acrylic that emits light via the edges or surfaces is especially in demand. "Those are effects that can only obtained with PLEXIGLAS®," says Ms Lind. In one of the Club ships operated by AIDA Cruises, which according to its own statements is the leading operator in terms of turnover and the number of passengers, wall elements of the photography shop were designed with PLEXIGLAS®. The combination of lighting and color effects provides a pleasant atmosphere. The same applies to the star shape inlaid in the ceiling of the bar area on one of the AIDA ships, and also to the Celebrity Solstice, which was completed last year and is the largest cruise liner built so far in Germany. Backlit ceiling panels made of acrylic with sandblasted sections in many parts of the vessel add special flair and contribute to the generous and airy effect of the room that extends over two stories. With backlighting, these panels create "fantastic lighting effects in a huge variety of colors," says Margrit Lind in a burst of enthusiasm. The orders come directly from the shipyard or from the outfitters. Malicryl has made a name for itself over the past 10 years as a PLEXIGLAS® fabricator for different areas, not just on ships, but also on land. They have become one of the Meyer Werft shipyard's established partners for outfitting the huge cruise liners. Sometimes, employees are taken along on board when a ship leaves the shipyard. Instead of suitcases, they take their toolbags with them. Often, there are not yet any passengers on the ships. While bystanders applaud the luxurious ®

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Facts and Figures on the Celebrity Solstice: Passenger capacity: 2,850 Cabins: 1,425 Crew: 1,250 Decks: 13 Length: 317.2 meters Ship width: 36,9 meters Cruising speed: 24 knots (about 28 mph) Built in: 2008

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Main dining room:

Theater:

The huge two-story dining room was designed by architect Adam D. Tihany. With its majestic chandeliers, classy atmosphere and phenomenal view of the sea, it offers the ideal setting for dining in style.

The team at Wilson Butler Architects designed the mega theater on board the Celebrity Solstice. The play of light and colors offers the ideal scenery for numerous performances on the ship.

vessels as they glide past the banks of the River Ems under their own steam for the first few miles, the finishing touches are being added to the interior. Here too, precision is called for. "We specialize in custom outfitting. Cruise ships are the pride of the seas and each one is unique."

Less weight pays off There is another reason, apart from the appearance and the various effects achieved with light and color, why the cruise industry has discovered PLEXIGLAS® and why it is increasingly replacing conventional glass for decorative interior design elements: the weight. Although the gigantic cruise liners of the 21st century are growing bigger and bigger, they must not become correspondingly heavier. This is because of their draft. An old sailor's rule says "Always a hand's breadth of water below the keel." Ships that are too heavy, and lie too deep in the water, have difficulties leaving the shipyard, especially in Papenburg, and are unable to reach many of the beautiful destinations along the coasts of the seven seas. And where there is a need to keep an eye on the kilos (or tonnes, in the case of these ocean giants), PLEXIGLAS® is very welcome, as Margrit Lind explains. At the

same time, weight savings also cut fuel consumption and are just as important for reducing costs as for minimizing environmental impact.

On board right from the start It's a fact that PLEXIGLAS® has proved seaworthy and has carved a place for itself in the style guide of cruise ship outfitters. Not only for areas where it soothes the aesthetic sensibilities of passengers and creates a feeling of well-being. "We are in on the act as soon as the keel is laid," Margrit Lind tells us. PLEXIGLAS® right down in the belly of the ship, even lower than the huge ship's engines? Yes, the specialist from Rhauderfehn confirms. During the laying of the keel (which, similar to laying the foundation stone of a building, marks the ship's birth), a box of coins is placed in the ship to accompany it on its journeys. This box contains modern coins and a limited edition to mark the festive moment. These coins are protected by PLEXIGLAS®: Between the transparent base sheet and the transparent cover sheet there is a sheet of dark material with precision-molded depressions for the coins. This gives PLEXIGLAS® pride of place even in modern cruise shipbuilding - a true mark of nobility. thz

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Shop: Shopping in style – on board too, it‘s important to flatter the eye as well as the figure. PLEXIGLAS combined with light provides the suitable ambience. ®

Defying All Winds and Weathers ®

PLEXIGLAS on motorboats, sailing yachts and frigates

[Shipbuilding]

Whether transparent or satin, patterned or plain, clear or colored, PLEXIGLAS® is found on all cruise ships in every imaginable variety, with and without lighting effects. The optical properties and stylish appearance are further benefits. The material is used for decorative interior design elements.

But sometimes, it is the practical advantages of the material, such as light weight and durability, that are important for seafaring. Shipbuilders also turn to PLEXIGLAS® in other parts of the ship, as Margrit Lind at Malicryl GmbH tells us. Her company not only supplies PLEXIGLAS® for glazing in motorboats and sailboats, but also for wind deflectors that protect officers from the elements on the open sections of the command bridge on German Navy frigates.

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Mobile sunscreen and means of concealing the number of stories: the solar façade of PLEXIGLAS SATINICE in the Austrian town of Hall links the historic center with the new town. ®

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Anything but Old Hat External sun blinds reconcile the old with the new

[Architecture] Right from the start, architect Walter Niedrist swore he would not cozy up to the adjacent period architecture. But how should he and the team of architects at Arch. Orgler ZT-GmbH design an office building at the point where the historic old town meets the modern residential area, as was the case in the Milsertor part of Hall, Austria? "The new building of the Raiffeisen Regionalbank in Hall was meant to stand out from its setting but not outshine either the historic or the more recent buildings," Niedrist explains. He was the one who finally solved the problem through intelligent façade design. "We realized that the façade somehow had to reconcile different scales - horizontally, it had to be structured so that the height of the different stories couldn't be judged from the outside." That is important for the optical impression because the stories in tiny medieval houses and modern detached homes have different heights. Thanks to its façade, the new building at Milsertor remains neutral yet iconic. To achieve this effect, the architects designed a façade system of PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® sun blinds that can be swung outwards. All winds and weathers Depending on the lighting conditions, the blinds can be folded out and lie flat against the building to protect it from the sun, or folded together to provide an unimpeded view. Each folding element consists of two sheets connected by hinges. The hinges for the 1,504 sheets were specially made and are screw-fastened to the sheets on top of rubber-mounted pointwise fastenings. The position of the folding blinds is centrally controlled but they can also be individually adjusted. "A special drive system had to be developed for the design," says Niedrist, who turned to Colt International for help. Wolfgang Egenberger is the responsible project manager at this company that specializes in sunscreen systems: "The actuation technology was a challenge. No water was meant to get into the mechanism despite frequent rain and snowfall." For this, he designed a new drive system whose sensitive parts are concealed inside guide rails. The experts at Colt were also the ones who convinced architect Niedrist to use PLEXIGLAS®. "The blinds were supposed to withstand all kinds of weather," Egenberger says. He also had to bear in mind that strong winds are a feature of this region. "Hall is within the area that is affected by the foehn, so venetian blinds or fabric structures were ruled out right from the start. PLEXIGLAS® on the other hand has the required structural properties and can be kept very thin, even as a large sheet." The sheets are in fact only six millimeters thick.

Protection paired with a clear view Apart from weather resistance, Niedrist's main requirements were for an attractive material. The sun blinds were to ensure protection from the sun while letting enough diffuse light into the building. He explains: "PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® is highly light-diffusing. Its translucency not only provides very pleasant light indoors but also meets the client's requirement for sight screening." That is especially important for the doctor's practice on the ground floor of the building. The semi-transparent blinds also look good from the outside, as Egenberger himself noticed during installation. "Passers-by kept asking us who this unusual building was being built for. The façade does in fact produce fascinating light and shade effects when the sun shines through." And this play of light and shade will be a lasting delight for the people of Hall because PLEXIGLAS® is UV-resistant. "That was also an important point when choosing the material – after all, who wants a façade that yellows after just a few years?", says Niedrist. His aim right from the outset was to prevent the building at Milsertor from looking its age, also in the future. hf www.plexiglas.net

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Showcasing America Traveling exhibition features key documents of America's history

[UV Protection] It all began when the National Archives building started to show its age. Flaking walls, weaknesses in fire protection and carcinogenic asbestos all spelled a need for renovation. And this in the building that houses the most important documents of the United States of America – the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights dating from 1791. The alarming state of the archives in Washington D.C. called for rapid action, and this provided an opportunity to send the precious documents on a journey right across the North American continent. A tour of history The National Archives made an unusual decision. Since no visitors were allowed to enter the archives during renovation, the exhibits were to visit the people instead. That gave American citizens who do not live within the Washington area a chance to see for themselves these defining statements of their national identity. Despite all the benefits to the public, this put a great strain on the documents, most of which are over 150 years old. The most important document to go on tour from 2001 to 2003 was the Emancipation Proclamation, with which Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the southern Confederate States in 1862/63: "And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons," the President wrote. Weighty words in a document of central importance.

The natural enemies of paper It is an understandable modern reaction to take a snapshot of anything that appears unusual. Some people even go one step further and cannot resist touching the object of their interest. But influences like light, friction and humidity are extremely dangerous for these venerable manuscripts. And long-term UV radiation affects them similarly to human beings: they get sunburn. But with paper, this is more than a touch of redness: the paper turns yellow and brittle, and starts to crumble. The UV spectrum of daylight is sufficient to produce this reaction.

Friction and humidity are no less aggressive. They can blur the letters written in flourishing script and lead to irreparable damage.

"Hands off" signs are not enough Of course, it is explicitly forbidden to photograph or touch the exhibits, but who would take any notice if there were no barrier between fingertips and paper? The temptation to touch the country's core documents would be too great. To protect the exhibits from surreptitious fingering and flashlights, the National Archives use specially built showcases made of PLEXIGLAS® Gallery and PLEXIGLAS® Gallery MR. The material that is less than half an inch thick has a highly resistant layer that protects it against wear and conventional cleaning agents. The PLEXIGLAS® sheets are beveled at the edges where they join each other – what engineers call a miter joint. This distributes impact forces evenly along the sides. What's more, the material filters out 98 percent of harmful UV light, but retains all of its optical clarity. "We are perfectly satisfied with the material's toughness, clarity and UV-filtering properties as demonstrated in past 'American Originals' tours," sums up Michael Jackson, Senior Exhibit Designer at the National Archives. "That is why the exhibitors are using the same material for subsequent traveling exhibitions."

Seeing for oneself The National Archives are currently on tour with the "Eyewitness" exhibition. In January 2009, this reached its last stop before the journey home, at Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. There, visitors can read authentic documents by eye witnesses, hear original recordings and gain a deep insight into the historical reality of the United States. One example is the recorded broadcast by Herbert Morrison, who watched the Hindenburg zeppelin explode: "It's burst into flames, and it's falling, it's crashing … Get this, Charlie; get this, Charlie! … […] this is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world." Unlike the other documents, the Charters of Freedom never left their original place. While the archives were being renovated, the Charters were restored at the same time in order to withstand future years in the showcase. This was essential because in the past they had suffered too much exposure to light. tim

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Documents that wrote history: The historical developmentof the United States of America forged the country's very identity. The original historical documents are therefore all the more precious. Protected by PLEXIGLAS Gallery showcases, the central manuscripts can travel the USA without being damaged by curious fingers or destructive UV light. ®

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UV-Resistant Weather Tower New landmark at Munich's Technical University: PLEXIGLAS outside, reinforced concrete inside ®

[Architecture] The structure presently being erected on the campus of the Technical University of Munich in Garching will look like a gigantic cocoon. The 50-meter tower, whose transparent PLEXIGLAS® shell offers a glimpse of the reinforced concrete structure inside, will be the new landmark at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). With its futuristic design, it fits in well with its neighbor, the Allianz Arena. But this eyecatcher mainly has a very practical use as a weather tower, which will collect meteorological data such as the temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind speed – both for research and as a monitoring facility for TUM's neutron source. Combining function and aesthetics So far, these tasks have been performed by a rather unattractive meteorological mast that now has to make way to the new congress center in the middle of Garching's high-tech campus. As well as being equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the new weather tower is also to present an optical contrast to its predecessor. This commission was given to the firm of Munich architects Deubzer König + Rimmel: "Our idea was to give the building a transparent shell that shows the loadbearing structure and can also be illuminated," Maximilian Rimmel explains. Weather data, current information on campus events and scientific pictures are to be projected onto the illuminated façade from the inside. The shell has to transmit a very high proportion of light so that the projected image is perfectly visible on the outside: "Originally we chose glassfiber-reinforced plastic (GRP) as the façade material. But GRP had too low transmission for our purposes – it doesn't let in enough light," Rimmel says. Finally, the search for a suitable material bore fruit: "We came across PLEXIGLAS®, which has far better optical properties than other plastics - in 2007, the guarantee for weather resistance and UV resistance was extended to 30 years." Although the structural analyses for a GRP façade were almost complete, the architects decided to revise their draft and use PLEXIGLAS® instead.

New fastening system needed Horizontal roof-bearing structures like Munich's Olympic Stadium have long been built with PLEXIGLAS®. It was a different story with vertical façade panels like those of TUM's new weather tower. Rimmel and his colleagues had to venture into new territory with this project. To prevent aluminum girders from disturbing the material's graceful appearance, they developed pointwise fastenings together with the supporting structure planners Barthel + Maus. This type of construction using PLEXIGLAS® is completely new. Rimmel tells us: "The sheets are only fixed by means of slim pointwise fastenings, which reduce the butt joints between the façade rings to an absolute minimum. We even needed a special license because no one had built this way before." Meanwhile, the structural engineers have approved the draft.

All a matter of form The architects' draft posed a further challenge for the façade material: "Because of the shape we chose, there were no flat surfaces on the shell of the building," Rimmel says. So the 152 façade elements had to be curved. The largest of the 25mm thick PLEXIGLAS® sheets are 6.30 meters long and 1.60 meters high. "Even in this size, it's no problem getting the right shape, because PLEXIGLAS® is easy to thermoform," Rimmel explains. Despite its size, the elliptical shape gives the tower a graceful appearance. The transparency of the façade has a lot to do with this, says Rimmel: "The sheets contain a low concentration of special pigments that allow them to transmit 88% of light. That explains the ethereal impression they make." hf

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Future new landmark at TU Munich: a 50-meter weather tower with a transparent PLEXIGLAS shell ®

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Detail of pointwise fastening: for the first time, sheets of PLEXIGLAS are fastened to the façade by means of almost invisible pointwise fastenings. ®

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Interview with TUM President Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann Why did TUM decide to make its new weather tower a landmark project? The "old landmark," the legendary "atomic egg" dating from 1957, which even made its way into Garching's coat of arms, is no longer in operation. Besides, due to the location's building development, it is now hard to see from a distance. Does the new landmark have anything to do with your award as a University of Excellence? Yes, the time was right. Garching won the most trophies in the Excellence initiative! Garching is TUM's natural sciences and technology center, and the campus is probably the largest of its kind in Europe. So why hide it? In fact, the 50-meter tower makes us visible from afar, even at night, because we are installing state-of-the-art LED technology. Why did TUM opt for the draft that has now been realized? There are several reasons. The existing meteorological mast had to be moved because of the new congress center building project in central Garching. The new location was specified by TÜV, the Technical Supervision Association, and is prominently placed right next to the campus entrance. So it was an obvious thought to erect a structure that was not only utilitarian but had a sophisticated architectural design, to combine "business" (the need for a meteorological mast) with "pleasure" (a new landmark). Our professor of architecture Hannelore Deubzer and her colleagues were commissioned to handle the project. The draft that has now been implemented successfully combines elegance, expedience and high tech. TUM wants to show itself in the best possible light. The TUM campus has become an eyecatching sight. Today, Garching has almost 10,000 students and 5,000 employees. As a professor of chemistry, I wanted the building to have a shell made of high-tech synthetic material also to underline the German chemical industry's leading position worldwide. PLEXIGLAS® has no equal in this context. I'm proud of this solution!

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, President of TU Munich

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No Holds Barred in the NHL ®

Panoramic PLEXIGLAS shields protect spectators at National Hockey League games

[Safety]

A hockey puck can fly over the ice at a speed of over 90 miles an hour. That can not only smash hockey sticks, but also the glass shields between the rink and the grandstands. Shields made from PLEXIGLAS® RinkShield® are more difficult to break, and enhance safety at the National Hockey League rinks in Canada and the USA. Jason Blake glides purposefully over the ice, making a beeline for the Ottawa Senators goal. He is so fast that his opponents have no chance of stopping him. Goalie Alex Auld crouches and tenses his whole body. Blake, now only a few yards from the goal, hits the puck with all his might. Goal! Goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs! The arena vibrates with the enthusiastic yells of the team's supporters. These encounters are always turbulent, both on the ice and on the grandstands. The Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, the home ground of the Maple Leafs, is perfectly designed for the ice hockey matches that take place six times a month. What else would you expect in the homeland of hockey, the Canadian national sport? The number of players, trainers, official and voluntary staff comes to 4.5 million. Canada has around 3,000 stadiums where 1.5 million games are played each year. So it comes as no surprise that PLEXIGLAS® RinkShield® was invented in the country whose national team heads the list of World Championship medal winners.

Peak speed: 101 mph Carmen Mammoliti, who has played ice hockey himself since he was a child, is the product manager for PLEXIGLAS® RinkShield® and the man who came up with the idea for the product in the first place. He knows the incredible forces that are generated by hockey and that can put both players and spectators at risk. A puck can be propelled across the field for a shot on goal at a speed of over 90 miles per hour. In fact, the world speed record is 101 miles an hour. The impact is so great that even a wooden hockey stick can break during the shot. But flying pucks are not the only danger. A key element of the game is the body check, when one player pushes another aside with his body. Things can get rough, say when a player is checked up against the shield, which is a big part of the game.. Because of such actions, the teams are well armored, from helmets to neck guards, chest pads and shin guards. The shields ensure the required safety between the ice and the grandstands. At the Air Canada Center in Toronto and most of the North American National Hockey League (NHL) arenas, they are made from PLEXIGLAS®. "The shields used to be made of tempered glass. But on hard impact, they exploded into thousands of dangerous slivers that could hit players and spectators. And just think how long the game had to be interrupted to install a new sheet of glass. That was a torment for every coach, TV viewer and commentator," says Carmen Mammoliti. So one benefit of

RinkShield®, which is offered in an abrasion resistant coated and an uncoated version, is its high flexibility. The shield vibrates slightly upon impact and the flex softens the blow. Unlike tempered glass, though, the shield cannot break into slivers, which makes the game safer both for teams and spectators.

From concert hall to stadium in no time The safety aspect also applies to installers. Since many arenas are designed to host a variety of functions, with basketball games and concerts besides ice hockey, conversion work is the order of the day. And shifting heavy panes of glass used to constitute a risk factor. The PLEXIGLAS® sheets are simpler and safer to install and dismantle. One sheet weighs about 100 pounds less than the previous glass variety. So installation takes half the time. Because the sheets are lighter, fewer workers need to lend a hand. That makes a big difference in terms of labor costs. PLEXIGLAS® allowed Mammoliti to redesign the normal 4’ x 6’ side board shields to create a panoramic 6’ x 8’ viewing panel. "The idea was revolutionary to the National Hockey League. Many people said such a design with this material couldn't be produced," Mammoliti says. As an enthusiastic hockey fan, he realized that cast material is less susceptible to breakage. Mammoliti knew that arenas were in need of this kind of product, and presented his idea to NHL. “The abrasion resistant coating makes it easy to remove puck marks and glue from stick tape, so the shield stays crystal clear. Those were my sales shots, apart from the superior safety, of course." The first sheets of this kind were installed in 2002. "The new panoramic panels using RinkShield® were able to reduce the number of supports by 30% and panels by 30%, which leads to faster conversions from hockey to other events and back to hockey. This meant significant cost savings," says Mammoliti. Meanwhile, the RinkShield® is also catching on in Europe. London's O2 concerts and sports arena has also installed the safety shields.

The exciting sound of ice hockey The Toronto Maple Leafs won their January game against the Ottawa Senators with 3:1. "It sounds exciting when players or the puck collide with the acrylic sheet. The rattling of the RinkShield® creates excitement and entertainment for the fans. Glass sounds a lot flatter because it doesn't vibrate," says Mammoliti. cat

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"It sounds really exciting when players or the puck collide with the acrylic sheet. Fans find that sound thrilling and entertaining. Glass sounds a lot flatter because it doesn't vibrate." Carmen Mammoliti, Product Manager Acrylic Polymers BL

Not only the puck, but players too often collide with the RinkShields in the heat of the moment- stability and a good view are crucial.

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From yellow to transparent: The different PLEXIGLAS colors are one way to start the guided search in the redesigned online shop. ®

www.plexiglas-shop.com Online Shop with Extended Functions and New Design

[Service] Designers who want to purchase on the Internet are usually faced with the following problem: Although they can order specific products, sifting through them or searching for ideas turns out to be difficult. That is why the new PLEXIGLAS® online shop has chosen a different approach. It offers designers and creative professionals the means of finding the right product even for abstract ideas. This is made possible by a guided search. Starting with a shape, color, surface texture or product property, online purchasers click their way through to the suitable product. There are nine hits, for instance, for a red material with a matte surface, from PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® Cherry 3C01 DC to PLEXIGLAS® Textured Sheet Strawberry 3C04 TU. Additionally, the buyer is informed about further material properties like light transmission or sheet thickness and can read up further details in the product data sheet. Then all that remains to do is state the required dimensions and the material can be placed in the virtual shopping trolley. There, the purchaser receives more useful information, for example on the suitable adhesive or drill bits for PLEXIGLAS®. "The online shop was very successful in its previous incarnation," says Michael Fleck, Product Manager Acrylic Polymers. "With its new design and new software, we want to adapt the technology to growing demands and enhance user friendliness at the same time." That also includes showing video clips on how to achieve clean bonds with PLEXIGLAS® and how to drill holes and saw the sheets.

Searching for ideas online Users who as yet have no ideas of their own can derive inspiration from the online shop. Project examples from architecture, furniture making, illuminated signs, exhibition booth building and store fixtures, art and design show the versatile uses to which PLEXIGLAS® can be put: illuminated displays made from PLEXIGLAS® EndLighten in South Africa, the complete furnishing of a shoe store with PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® in New Zealand or illuminated presentation tables made from PLEXIGLAS RESIST®. The photo gallery is rounded off by information on the projects and the materials used.

Direct access for experts People who know exactly which product they want to buy, or which product group is the right one, can still access the shop directly. "Many commercial clients already order specific cut-tosize sections via the shop," Fleck explains. "And in the future, it will also be possible to buy sample collections online." At present, customers from Germany, Austria, France and the Benelux countries can use the shop, but there are plans to extend access to other European countries, and a similar offering will soon go online also in the USA. ck

www.plexiglas-shop.com

The new online shop: It offers designers and creative professionals the means of finding the right product even for abstract ideas.

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PARAPAN Helps Create Panoramic View Panoramic scene integrated into kitchen

[Interior Design] When nature lovers David and Sherry Miller built a custom home outside Santa Fe, New Mexico they wanted to be able to enjoy the outdoor scenery from as many vantage points as possible. In fact, Sherry thought the Sangre de Cristo Mountains were so beautiful she wanted to integrate the panoramic scene into her kitchen. Designing cabinetry with a mirror-like reflective surface has made all of that possible. The new cabinets are designed with PARAPAN®, a brilliant, high-gloss, durable solid surface. The reflective qualities of PARAPAN® serve as a perfect complement to the two sets of windows – one set facing east and the other north – in the kitchen. Creating that visual was only part of the challenge for Jeff Carbine, owner of Carbine Woodworks, a custom cabinet maker based in Santa Fe. Carbine and his team also had to make sure that the cabinets were of the highest quality, so they were consistent with the Millers’ overall kitchen design. The Millers chose Anthracite gray, one of 17 distinctive PARAPAN® colors, to offset the natural elements of their surroundings. Though Carbine works almost exclusively with wood-based products, he came away duly impressed with PARAPAN®. “I like it a lot. It has a very even and consistent color, and it is very tough” said Carbine. It even held up to the toughest challenge of the cabinets, the pantry pullout drawers. More than a beautiful look Aesthetics are only part of the reason why PARAPAN® has worked so well in the Miller’s kitchen. The durability, UV and water resistance of PARAPAN® were key elements for the Millers when choosing the perfect surface for their kitchen cabinets. Toughness was one major consideration. Obviously, the durable solid surface had to be able to withstand everyday use. The windows let in a tremendous amount of sunlight. The UV resistance of PARAPAN® protects the lustrous color of the cabinetry ensuring that the high-gloss surface will continue to reflect the vista for years to come. Unlike finishes, PARAPAN® is resistant to moisture, thereby eliminating the potential for the cabinets to shrink or swell. The Millers also appreciated the fact that PARAPAN® is well suited for green designs. It does not contain formaldehyde or VOCs, which can result in the release of harmful vapors or gases, and is free of plasticizers and bisphenol A. Ultimately, the Millers are pleased with their choice. “The ability to enjoy the view, even when my back is turned to the windows, is great,” said Sherry. “When I see the reflection in the cabinets, it’s so clear it almost looks like a photograph.” ck

www.plexiglas.net

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Panoramic kitchen: Nature is reflected in the high-gloss PARAPAN surface.

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Another Candy Stick, Anyone? A Hungarian sweet shop recreates our childhood dreams

[Shop Design] A paradise of candies, lollies and gumdrops awaits patrons of these premises in DunavarsányEro˝spuszta, a town near Budapest. Here, in a very special sweet shop, candy of every shape and size is stacked up to the ceiling in transparent acrylic tubes. The seating area tempts visitors with colored walls, and even the candy stripe seats look good enough to eat. It takes a strong will to reach a decision in such an environment. Our preference for sweet things is an instinct that goes back to Stone Age days. The probability of eating a poisonous fruit was much smaller if it tasted really sweet. Hunters and gatherers derived the energy they needed from the sugar content of sweet fruit. "Our fascination with sweet foods is also based on the fact that even embryos prefer the basic taste 'sweet' to all others. That has genetic reasons and is reinforced by the sweetness of amniotic fluid and mother's milk," says Prof. Dr. Angelika Ploeger in Kassel University's Department of Organic Food Quality and Food Culture. The taste buds at the tip of our tongue are especially happy when we eat something sweet – that is the only place we perceive sweetness. The lure of the chocolate fix Chocolate is the food of predilection for everyone with a sweet tooth. We have the Olmec to thank for that. This tribe from the rainforests of Central America grew the first cocoa tree in 250 BC. In the course of the centuries, cocoa beans were not only in demand as a form of currency, but also for preparing drinking chocolate with cold water and ground cocoa. The Aztec ruler Montezuma II was extremely fond of this beverage. But it was far ®

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from sweet back then. That is why the Aztecs called it Xocolatl: sour, bitter water. Not until cocoa made its way into European courts did the lords and ladies decide to sweeten it and add milk, vanilla and jasmine to the new drink. A succession of kings succumbed to this sweet temptation. "Sweets have derived their special status because they were always special and costly; they were used as rewards and as status symbols," Dr. Ploeger says. The common people also coveted the delicious drink, but chocolate remained very much a luxury. And grew all the more desirable for that.

Sweet delicacies in elegant packaging Years later, everyone has access to these sweet delights. They are available in a myriad different forms, as gifts, rewards and incentives. Sweets lend hope in moments of despair, for instance amid the destruction of Berlin after World War II. American pilots airdropped chocolate to the besieged city. To make sure the bars drifted gently to earth, they were attached to mini parachutes. To children, they seemed like gifts from heaven, and that earned the aircraft their new name: Candy Bombers. Even today, it is a real experience to visit a candy store. Everyone knows the expression "to have eyes bigger than your belly." Hundreds of colors, countless aromas – almost like paradise. The sweet shop in the Hungarian town of DunavarsányEröspuszta has ensconced its sugary treats in tubes made of PLEXIGLAS®. Customers can admire the candy in every detail through the crystal-clear containers. "The clarity is due to the tube extrusion process," explains Susanne Mirk, Product Manager Acrylic Polymers BL. The extruder forms molten

PLEXIGLAS® into tubes that are slowly cooled and thus remain stress-free and highly transparent. That also makes them easy to fabricate. "We are the market leaders in tube and rod extrusion, in terms of roundness and optical requirements," Ms. Mirk says. The round shape is important so that the tubes fit perfectly on top of each other or in the metal fastener profiles that keep the popular sweets safely in their place. Interlocking profiles can be used to connect several tubes, for example. And since PLEXIGLAS® comes with a declaration of food compliance, it is perfectly suited for storing candy, gumdrops and the like. Taking a closer look around the Hungarian sweet shop, one discovers more and more elements made of PLEXIGLAS®, like the multicolored partitions that create a cheerful atmosphere. With its hard-wearing surface, PLEXIGLAS SATINICE® can also cope with children's sticky finger marks. So the sweets can remain a tempting sight every day. cat

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The Light of the Future Efficient signage under the South African sun

[Signage] Very different requirements have to be met when creating illuminated signs, from design and luminosity to energy efficiency and low maintenance. Whereas fluorescent tubes used to be the first choice for lighting, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are now gaining a growing share of the illuminants market. LEDs are more flexible and have a much longer service life than fluorescent tubes. Sheets of PLEXIGLAS truLED® are used to design extremely effective LED striplights, for example by Japanese luxury car manufacturer Lexus in South Africa.

Wilmans names another advantage of LEDs: "The light boxes can be made much slimmer, only 56 mm deep with LEDs. Fluorescent tubes, on the other hand, require a depth of 150 mm. The flatter the boxes, the more material can be saved." These benefits mean LEDs are winning an increasing share of the market. "I think the market will continue to grow. We started at a low level, but we have seen steady growth of ten to fifteen percent per year. LEDs definitely look like the light of the future," Wilmans says.

Long service life, low maintenance

Innovative image

Lexus made a conscious decision against fluorescent tubes and in favor of LEDs for the illuminated signs at its South African showrooms. For convincing economic reasons: the lower maintenance costs. LEDs offer up to 50,000 hours of illumination, as compared with fluorescent tubes, which have an average service life of about 31,000 hours. Osram, which manufactures both types of illuminant, has already delivered 140,000 LEDs to Lexus for the first construction phase. Wallie Wilmans is Technical Marketing Manager at Osram and explains the cost advantage: "LEDs are more expensive to start with, but they are worth it in the long run because of their lower maintenance costs. The higher initial investment pays off after only two to three years.“ This is because LEDs are highly vibration-resistant and less temperature-sensitive. Added to this, if one LED fails, this has hardly any effect on the overall optical output of a unit. If a fluorescent tube fails, it is obvious straight away.

Lexus is of the same opinion. LEDs perfectly match the image the Japanese car manufacturer would like to cultivate, with vehicles that place emphasis on innovation. That can be seen from the series of models with the hybrid engine, a combination of gasoline engine and electric motor with low emissions and consumption. So it was important for Lexus to use innovative technology when it came to the signs for its branches. This task was handled by Terri-Lynn Matthyser, Creative Director at The Brand Union, a brand design agency. She explains her brief thus: "Lexus is an aspirational premium brand. The brand expression as such is a pursuit of perfection. For us, the pursuit of perfection goes hand in hand with pursuit of the most advanced intelligent and engaging technology. And that obviously has to be used in the vehicles as well as in the showroom."

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Large striplights made of PLEXIGLAS truLED combined with LEDs light up Lexus car showrooms in South Africa, cost-effectively and with energy savings.

Looking good both day and night At the same time, very explicit requirements had to be met when designing the signs. Ms. Matthyser received clear specifications from her Japanese clients: "The signage needed to provide excellent lighting results and look equally good both day and night. In terms of the challenges, the South African sunlight was obviously very different from the Japanese sunlight." So the unit needed to offer particularly high luminosity. "The PLEXIGLAS truLED® sheets provided good results. The material

makes for strong light features and achieves the desired effect both during the day and at night," Ms. Matthyser says. PLEXIGLAS truLED® was specially developed for modern LED technology and is precisely adjusted to the color point of the individual LEDs. This means the light is not converted to heat inside the sheet, but reaches the viewer. "That is unique in the market and distinguishes this grade from all standard products," Ms. Matthyser adds. Martin Hoffmann, Product Manager at the Acrylic Polymers BL, agrees: "PLEXIGLAS truLED® offers very good transmission. That means it has better light transmission than conventional acrylic, combined with excellent light diffusion." It provides optimum lighting results at minimum power consumption. "In the case of the Lexus branches, it would have taken a lot more LEDs to provide the same lighting effect with conventional acrylic. That would have increased power consumption unnecessarily, and with it the carbon emissions," Hoffmann says. hf

www.plexiglas-and-energy.com

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Holding Back the Hands of Time Solar honeycomb façade for energy-plus house looks as good as new ten years on

[Architecture] This house in the Austrian town of Weiz is like a live-in satellite. Like one of these man-made celestial bodies, it is round, draws its energy from solar panels and, although it does not orbit around the sun, it does follow its trajectory. The Gemini energy-plus house revolves through 180 degrees in the course of a day, and by the evening it has returned to its original position. In this way it captures maximum solar radiation for the solar collectors that provide electricity, the sun windows that heat the rooms, and the heat-insulating solar honeycomb façade made of PLEXIGLAS®. Such is the power of motion – the Gemini house produces more energy than it consumes, and has been performing this feat for two decades. In the beginning was the figure The house was developed back in the early 1990s by programmer Roland Mösl. His design received an award at the 1993 world exhibition on innovation, research and technology 'Brussels Eureka.' One year later, Mösl was awarded the European Order of Merit for his efforts to promote solar energy. But the house was built by someone else: "I had already heard of Mösl's

design and read his book on the subject," Erwin Kaltenegger recalls. He is the architect commissioned with building the Gemini house by the town of Weiz in 1998. "Mr. Mösl calculated the house very efficiently and provided impressive energy production and heat insulation figures. But I had to introduce a few changes, like room division and window size, to make the house more comfortable," Kaltenegger adds. But even with these changes, the Gemini house retains its positive energy balance.

Dynamic façade The house's heat insulation is crucial to the energy balance, apart from power generation by the solar collectors. "Originally, the design specified aluminum paneling. Then the Gemini house really would have looked like a satellite," says Kaltenegger, who searched for a more attractive and more efficient solution. This he found in the so-called solar honeycomb façade. The light-transmitting cover material consisting of PLEXIGLAS® corrugated sheet conceals small tubes that are five centimeters long and five millimeters in diameter. The tubes are closely aligned side by side, rather like honeycombs. Their front

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Turning toward the sun through its own energy: The house has been generating its own power for more than ten years with a solar honeycomb façade made of PLEXIGLAS . To make the most of the available sunlight, the energy-plus house revolves through 180 degrees in the course of the day. ®

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PLEXIGLAS shows no yellowing despite being exposed to strong sunlight, as is meanwhile guaranteed for 30 years. The UV resistance of the material has paid off here too.

end is covered by the sheet, whereas the other end abuts on the house's actual insulation layer. "A microclimate prevails inside the tubes, which enables them to provide a dynamic U-value," Kaltenegger explains. U-value is the term use to describe the heat transfer. If the U-value is dynamic, the heat transfer is opposite to the outdoor climate. If it is cold outside, the air entrapped in the tubes has an insulating effect. This is because air is a poor heat conductor. When the entrapped air is heated by sunlight during the day, it releases this heat very slowly overnight. The opposite happens on hot days – the air that cools down overnight takes a long time to heat up during the day. "For this principle to work, the cover sheet must transmit light. Otherwise, not enough sunlight gets in. That's why we chose PLEXIGLAS®, which looks good too," Kaltenegger underlines.

required any cleaning either," Kaltenegger tells us. Weather resistance was one of his main reasons for choosing PLEXIGLAS® ten years ago. "I was assured the material would not yellow even when exposed to strong sunlight, unlike other plastics. And that has proved true," the architect says. What was promised to Kaltenegger back then is now guaranteed. PLEXIGLAS® now comes with a 30-year guarantee of weather resistance and UV resistance. So the Gemini house can keep on turning without the fear of losing energy. hf

www.plexiglas.net

Youthful skin The outer skin of the façade has to withstand wind, rain, snow and the prevailing temperatures of the Austrian climate. That is no big challenge for the cover material. "I myself am surprised that the sheets transmit just as much light today as on day one. They show no signs of weathering, and so far they have not

A Toast to Cool Blue! [Product] Is there anyone who doesn't look forward to the summer sun after a long, cold winter? But transparent roofs over patios, conservatories and carports can quickly turn enjoyment of fine weather into a feeling of being hot and bothered. The problem is that when solar heat radiation, so-called infrared light, passes through the roof unfiltered, it leads to heat buildup.

roof makes for a cool and pleasant atmosphere. Seen from outside, the sheet has a golden sheen in incident light. This opens up a raft of new design options, while improving the heat-shield effect still further. Up to 75 percent of solar energy is screened out.

Who keeps their cool?

The Cool Blue sheet makes it easy to relax, even if there is no real need to. A study by the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, shows that blue-colored light heightens awareness and reduces fatigue. At the same time, it is mood-enhancing and boosts performance and concentration. Ideal conditions for soaking up the summer sun, minus the heat! hf

Anyone who wants to reduce temperatures a little in their conservatory but still enjoy the sunshine, without installing an expensive air conditioning unit, can now turn to PLEXIGLAS HEATSTOP®. These corrugated and multi-skin sheets are equipped with infrared-reflecting pigments. Although these pigments reflect the heat, they still let in most of the visible light. Now there is a new grade for a special lighting experience, PLEXIGLAS HEATSTOP® Cool Blue. Novel pigments give transmitted light a trendy blue tinge. The color impression below the

Chilling out

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PLEXIGLAS HEATSTOP Cool Blue. Available from the first quarter of 2009: WP 76/18 corrugated sheets and SDP 16/980 and SDP 16/1200 multi-skin sheets

Credits: ®

[DIA] Design in Acrylics This is a publication of the Acrylic Polymers Business Line of

Evonik Industries ®

[DIA] Design in Acrylics is published three times a year by: Evonik Röhm GmbH Acrylic Polymers Business Line Kirschenallee D-64293 Darmstadt Germany Phone +49-6151-18-01 Fax +49-6151-18-02 www.plexiglas.net www.design-in-acrylics.com Please send notice of changes in address to: [email protected] Edited by: Profilwerkstatt, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Phone +49-6151-599020 www.profilwerkstatt.de Editors in Chief: Dr. Ulrich Kläres, Performance Polymers Business Unit (responsible under Journalists’ Law) Susanne Diehl, Acrylic Polymers Business Line Martina Keller, Profilwerkstatt Dr. Claudia Klemm, Profilwerkstatt English Translation: Mitzi Morgan Art Direction: Holger Giebeler Typesetting/Layout: Profilwerkstatt Managing Editor: Ralf Ansorge Printed by: Zarbock GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurt Printed on paper bleached without chlorine. Photos: Aida Cruises: page 4 Team of architects Deubzer König+Rimmel: cover, pages 12 and 13 Architect‘s office Kaltenegger, pages 22, 23 B.A.G. Plastics: cover, page 3 BluAppel, page 2 Evonik Industries: cover, pages 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 Fotolia, pages 14, 15, 16 Malicryl GmbH, page 7 Meyer-Werft: cover, pages 6 and 7 Private Banking Hall: page 8 TU Munich: page 13 Illustration: Sandra Kreuzer, Profilwerkstatt: page 19 Evonik’s Performance Polymers Business Unit is a worldwide supplier of PMMA semifinished products sold under the PLEXIGLAS trademark on the European, Asian, African and Australian Continents and under the trademarks ACRYLITE , DEGLAS , PARAGLAS SOUNDSTOP and ROHAGLAS in the Americas. ®

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® = registered trademark DiA, PLEXIGLAS and PLEXICOR are registered trademarks of Evonik Röhm GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany. ACRYLITE is a registered trademark of Evonik Cyro LLC, Rockaway, NJ, USA. This information and all further technical advice is based on our present knowledge and experience. However, it implies no liability or other legal responsibility on our part, also with regard to existing third party intellectual property rights, especially patent rights. In particular, no warranty, whether express or implied, or guarantee of product properties in the legal sense is intended or implied. We reserve the right to make any changes according to technological progress or further developments. The customer is not released from the obligation to conduct careful inspection and testing of incoming goods. Performance of the product described herein should be verified by testing, which should be carried out only by qualified experts in the sole responsibility of a customer. Reference to trade names used by other companies is neither a recommendation, nor does it imply that similar products could not be used. (Status: May 2003)