Glass slide fabricated from single piece

Engineers at London-based Eckersley O’Callaghan have developed a 30-ft glass slide fabricated from a single piece of laminated, annealed glass. The piece was demonstrated at Glass Tec in Dusseldorf last month. The slide is made from two pieces of glass bonded together with transparent structural silicone adhesive (TSSA). The vertical member, which serves as the ladder, has glass treads that are attached to it using TSSA.

The TSSA adhesive dries to a virtually clear state, can support the weight of an adult, and is able to resist the shear forces that form when the slide is in use. The Vidre Slide, which was designed and fabricated to maximize transparency, is intended for a project in Hong Kong.

Cricursa fabricated glass slide and ladder

Eckersley O’Callaghan worked with a Barcelona-based company – Cricursa, which developed the curved fabrication technique – to produce the slide. Cricursa specializes in creating curved glass for architectural applications and has worked on creating distinctive façades and other glass components for a number of signature projects. Cricursa works with all types of glass, including laminated, low-emissivity, low-reflective and insulated glass, as well as oversized glass and glass flooring.

According to Eckersley O’Callaghan, the slide exemplifies beneficial ways in which engineers and fabricators can work together on projects, and tests the limits of the practical applications for glass and structural adhesives. Although Cricursa specializes in specialty glass production, the Vidre Slide uses two tightly curved seamless glass chutes that rely heavily upon the adhesive for structural soundness. The slide also features a metal support structure that ties the ladder and chute together for added stability.

While the slide is nowhere near the tallest or longest slide in production, it is the longest glass slide formed from a single sheet of glass. Eckersley O’Callaghan did not indicate where or when the slide will be installed.

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Photo Credit: Eckersley O’Callaghan