CAODURO® products in university structures
Not far from Castel Sant’Angelo and Piazza di Spagna in Rome is the imposing Simonetti-Odescalchi building, seat of the Rectorate of the Guglielmo Marconi University in Rome. Inside the building is the elegant room dedicated to Vittoria Colonna consisting of important central space, dominated by a large skylight, and the side gallery whose lighting is entrusted to eight smaller skylights.
In 2009, Caoduro S.p.A. carried out the intervention to replace the existing skylights The central part was covered with an arched dome of seven meters in diameter resting on a circular metal structure that connects the round shape of the dome to the square shape of the shaft and the supporting walls. At the four corners of the side gallery and in the center of each side, 8 domes of 3 m in diameter have been installed.
Each dome is made up of arches made with aluminum profiles, with an exclusive design designed by CAODURO®, arranged in a radial pattern to form the bearing structure on which the transparent polycarbonate sheets rest. To complete each arched dome, at the top, a steel ring is positioned that accommodates the supporting arches of the structure and supports the thermoformed opening dome.
The use of monolithic polycarbonate has allowed the construction of a luminous and at the same time light and resistant to atmospheric agents cover, the technopolymer also can resist concentrated stresses and strong impacts such as hail and in case of breakage fortuitously, the sheet remains intact without detachment of dangerous splinters. The gaskets are in EPDM or closed-cell foam, guaranteeing a perfect seal and giving the possibility of creating a thermal break in the aluminum profiles, obtaining correct thermal insulation in line with the provisions of current regulations.
The type of construction of the ribbed structures allows creating tailor-made roofs, aesthetically valuable, large, and suitable to satisfy any design requirement.
Among the noteworthy interventions carried out in university structures, the work carried out at the University of Mu’tah in Jordan should certainly be mentioned. Founded in 1981 as a national institution for civil and military higher education, today it is home to fourteen faculties, including the Faculty of Medicine since 2001.
The intervention was performed in the university library and the buildings of the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Art. The central part of the library was covered by 48 monobloc domes with Diamond shape made of smoked PMMA. These domes, with a maximum size of 162 × 162 cm, were installed in series to form a lattice that completely covers the roof.
The choice of color and double-wall construction allows you to optimize solar radiation and thermal comfort.
A self-supporting thermoformed dome of about 5 meters in diameter was installed in each of the auditoriums of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Art. The peculiarity of these domes is that they lack any metal support structure. They are made up of 8 thermoformed wedges, hooked together, and connected by a dome at the top. Also, in this case, the choice of the double-walled type and the smoky colored material was determined by the need to contain solar radiation and heat exchanges.
The experience gained in these years of activity, both in the field of thermoformed roofs and ribbed structures, allows us to satisfy the increasingly demanding requests of customers and designers, placing Caoduro S.p.A. as an ideal partner from the early stages of planning.
