|
 The installation of any acrylic panel requires a certain level of expertise. Often the location and type of installation requires creative problem-solving and artistic finesse. Our project managers work closely with construction companies, contractors, and other project managers to effectively and efficiently bring the project to completion.
When it comes time for the installation of your project, we send people from throughout our company to oversee, inspect, problem-solve, and do everything they can to make sure the acrylic installation of your project comes off without a hitch. Regardless of the location or time of year, we will be there to make sure your acrylic panels are taken care of, from the time they leave our facility to when the final acrylic shape is set into place.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Rangali Island, Maldives
 The Ithaa Restaurant located at the Hilton Maldives Resort sits more than 16 feet (5 meters) below the waves of the Indian Ocean. Made from R-Cast™ acrylic and surrounded by a vibrant coral reef, this restaurant required exacting detail from the very beginning of the engineering phase, through fabrication, and ending with the installation.
All of the acrylic panels fit into a steel frame that sits on the sea floor. Due to the size and complexity of the structure, it was built in several sections in Singapore and then shipped by barge to the jobsite.
Once on-site, the entire restaurant was sunk to the sea bed with the help of a crane and tons of sand to act as ballast. Diving crews were required maneuver into place to ensure that it aligned with the structure on the seabed and to make sure that it did not come too close to the fragile coral reef nearby.
 The end-result is a 5-star restaurant that truly was the first of its kind, both in its construction and in application.
- On location, the Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc. installation crew prepares for the arrival of the barge containing the restaurant structure.
- In order to ensure the structure was watertight, all seals and silicone joints were meticulously checked prior to it being rigged to the crane.
- A crane maneuvers the structure over the location it is to sit before carefully and slowly sinking it to the bottom of the seafloor.
 Diving crews were required during installation to serve as the eyes and ears for the crane. Because the restaurant was to rest next to a fragile coral reef, there was little margin for error in the placement of it.
- A view of the new Ithaa Restaurant shortly after the protective masking was removed.
- Shortly after the installation was complete, the marine life returned back to their natural habitat.
- Every day, the restaurant is surrounded with colorful fish from the Indian Ocean and curious sting rays making their nightly rounds.
|
