Thermoplastics
Thermoplastic (n.) The term originates from the combination of the two terms thermo and plastic. Thermos, which is the Greek word for hot or warm, and plastikos, which is another Greek word for being “able to be molded or fitted”. 1 A thermoplastic is a type of plastic that becomes pliable or moldable above a specific temperature and hardens upon cooling. Its high molecular weight, and the association of the polymer chains through intermolecular forces, weakens rapidly with increased temperature. Therefore, thermoplastics can be easily used for various purposes, as they can be reshaped at hot temperatures. There are numerous kinds of thermoplastics as well, with each type varying in organization and density of molecules; some types that are commonly produced today are polyurethane, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and acrylic. 2 After World War II, the idea of a mechanized house, for a mass-producing consumerist society sought to reassess the idea of the house in relation to technology. The House of the Future, was a pavilion-like house commissioned by the Daily Mail for its Jubilee Ideal Home Exhibition. It was built in 1956 by the partnership of Alison and Peter Smithson. The house was constructed to look like it was made out of thermoplastic material in order to reflect “its material possibilities” in a “free-flowing, plug-in look”; moldable and smooth, like the house appliances being constructed at the time. 3