Wednesday 4 November 2015

This Month In Fibreglass: This month is dirty!

Who would have thought that glass reinforced plastic would be so durable! Just to highlight our super products' resistance to decay, we put together a blog of fibreglass structures that really should have been cleaned up. This month, it's an abandoned holiday complex, abandoned theme park and an abandoned listening station - rude. 

Thai Curry

Reminds me of melons, or grapefruits....whatever.
This is the exciting, bustling holiday resort of Sanzhi in Taiwan. Once, the dream was all about knobbly knees competitions and probably some local light entertainer like Brobery Davlo banging out some songs. Alas, the dream has turned into a horrible nightmare. This complex of concrete and fibreglass pod buildings was conceived in 1978 and was being built - until 1980 when it was abandoned. Here we see what happens to fibreglass over the course of about 28 years......hint: it gets dirty!

Visit Sanzhi and wonder at strip covered ribbed GRP Panelling!
When a sacred dragon statue was moved to widen an access road, they say its annoyed spirit
caused a number of deaths from road accidents near the site. Legend says that the site was also a 17th century burial ground for Dutch soldiers, but isn't everywhere?


The wood panelled cabins are spacious, very well ventilated and all have sea views.

So, for your future reference, it turns out that fibreglass bolted to concrete isn't great in an earthquake zone. Plus, the developer went bust. Add in all the deaths and superstition, and it all ends with everyone downing tools (and Bobby never even got on stage). It's a shame that this failed holiday complex has now been demolished to make way for... a new holiday complex!
Go to this website to see more. Bookings are no longer being taken, because it no longer exists.

German Sausage

While the mammoths doze on the hillside, the headless stegosaurus grazes
Scream if you wanna go faster girls! Abandoned theme parks are a great place for old fibreglass. After last year's look around one in Japan, which appears to be one of many around the world - it appears the human race just isn't so good at clearing up after itself. This is a place so creepy, you'd think that during the night these GRP animals may actually come to life.

Concealed in bushes, the deadly plastic swan waits patiently to attack its prey.
Nature... it's so vicious.
This is "The Spreepark" in the old East German half of Berlin. It was popular with the communists, not so popular with the capitalists. It was built in 1969, and abandoned by 2001 after visitor numbers dropped from 1.5 million to just 400,000 per year. The owner tried to move these attractions to South America, but instead had to go to jail for smuggling Class As in the packed up rides (roller coasters will get you high, baby).
So the site is still in limbo, the local council want millions in taxes, plus there is an environmental order on protection of the forest, preventing any further development of the site. You can see this website if you'd like more info. Bookings are no longer being taken, although you might get in if you know the right people.

 Meat & Two Veg

Although its central pillar is getting ragged, the balls may still be servicable.
I can relate to this old structure.
Still in Germany, but on a cold war theme, this is Teufelsberg (Devil's Lake) - built by the Americans on a hill created from the rubble of the WWII bombed-out city of Berlin. It was used right up to the fall of the wall to listen in on those Commies. The radomes (Radar-Domes) are made of fibreglass.
Bookings are actually being taken for tours.

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