Low construction costs, little maintenance and a short construction period made plastic composite materials the material of choice for the construction of a lighthouse in Valencia, Spain.
The recently commissioned lighthouse stands 35 meters high in the harbour of the Mediterranean city. This one of a kind lighthouse is made entirely of carbon-fibre and glass-fibre-reinforced plastic. Using plastics made it possible to build the lighthouse in less than 20 days where other materials needed seven weeks of construction. The choice of material saved a total of 40% of construction time, reduction in construction cost and lowed CO2 emissions in the construction process. Another advantage of plastic composites is its durability that increases the lifespan of the lighthouse. Plastics can withstand harsh weather conditions such as high wind speeds and are corrosion resistant needed in this marine environment. Lastly the lighthouse is equipped with PVC solar panels using LED technology that making the lighthouse visible from a range of 25 nautical miles by means of low energy consumption.
With the recent expansion of the port of Valencia, the local port authority chose plastics and the endless innovations that plastics offer to construct the port’s unique lighthouse.
Further information about the world's first composite lighthouse can be found at: http://bit.ly/2b3kNjR