| At this early stage the caterpillar is a broad concept & could be made flesh in a variety of ways- moulded Glass reinforced cement or glass reinforced polyester segments could interlock in a variety of positions, for example. A strong contender might be the use of a flexible fabric, such as recycled PVC, on a steel frame: Rows of segments are formed from steel exostructures supporting a membrane skin of recycled P.V.C, possibly with fibreglass battens to add form & surface texture. Each segment may be added or removed, and has 2 steel ribs extending from the structures' spine to the ground below. These are, effectively, a portal frame, and can be pulled upright from the horizontal with great speed, using a bare minimum of labour. The structure would probably be built segment by segment, each segment being light enough for a small team to handle, and foldable for ease of transport & storage. Steel cables would be used to guy these portals in position. These cables would be anchored to the ground using earth anchors for speed & to avoid the environmentally destructive use of mass concrete foundations. |
