Two years have gone since an 80-metre section of the Polcevera Bridge in Genoa, Italy, collapsed during a storm killing 43 people. The bridge, designed by engineer Riccardo Morandi, was characterised by a system patented by Morandi himself.
Fascinated by the technology of concreting, the engineer focused his career on concrete cable-stayed bridges. His bridge on the Polcevera river featured three A-shaped frames on the main part of the structure with supporting decks connected by suspended girders. Similar in its structure to the Maracaibo, Wadi Kuf and Rio Magdalena bridges, the Polcevera bridge was considered an example of Brutalist architecture.
After the bridge fell, 82-year-old Italian architect Renzo Piano, a native of Genoa and known all over the world for iconic designs such as The Shard in London and Paris's Pompidou Centre, was appointed to design the new bridge (the design team included Project Director Stefano Russo and Project Architects Alessandro Zanguio and Alessio Montanari).
When he presented the project he had in mind, Piano emphasised two core principles, simplicity and light. He stated indeed: "The new bridge must be simple and straightforward, but not ordinary. It is going to look like a ship moored in the valley; a bright, clear steel bridge. During the day, it will reflect sunlight and absorb solar energy, and at night, it will return it. It will be a sober bridge, respecting the character of the Genoese."
Construction went on even during the Coronavirus lockdown in Italy and the bridge was officially opened today by the authorities.
For what regards the silhouette, Renzo Piano's bridge over the Polcevera - that he called Genova-San Giorgio Bridge - looks lighter and slender, definitely more streamlined, compared to Morandi's structure.
Inspired by urban bridges, the structure rests on 18 reinforced concrete piers (distanced 50 metres one from ther other, except for the three central ones that have a pitch of 100 metres) with an elliptical section of 4 metres by 9.5 metres. This elliptical section is actually a key feature of the bridge as the absence of sharp corners allows the light to "slip" on the surface, softening the visual impact and presence of the piers.
Another key feature is the fact that the deck, that is the surface of the bridge, is "isolated" from the piers through support devices that allow the bridge to "breathe" without there being any influence on its stability and strength.
The deck is designed like the hull of a ship, which means that it gradually reduces itself towards the ends, an expedient to soften the visual impact of the structure. Light colours were favoured for what regards the coating of the steel elements to make sure that this 1,100 metres snake of steel and concrete perfectly integrates with the surrounding areas.
Sustainability and technology weren't forgotten: while energy will be provided by 2,000 solar panels, the bridge integrates sensors and robots that will constantly monitor the structure and carry out basic maintenance.
This is a crucial point as the lack of maintenance was one of the causes behind the tragedy: when the bridge collapsed in 2018, Autostrade per l'Italia, Europe's largest toll road operator managing most of Italy's motorways, controlled by the Benetton family (via Atlantia SpA) since 1999, had failed to repair the pylon that collapsed. Spea (also owned by Benetton) was supposed to inspect the infrastructure. The two companies denied culpability, but the Italian government recently decided to renationalise Autostrade.
The new bridge is certainly not a cause for celebration as 43 people died in the tragic accident, but it is a symbol of what can be achieved when there is the will to get things done and overcome bureaucracy as well.
Italy is notorious for its slowness in completing major infrastructures and it has a long history of "opere incompiute", works left unfinished for one reason or the other.
Piano conceived the bridge as a white vessel crossing the Polcevera river and this seems to be a symbol of hope. Today, at the official opening, Piano called it "simple and strong, like Genoa", a bridge "made of steel but forged in the wind" and hoped it will become part of the lives of local people. He also emphasised that the structure will certainly be loved by many because it plays with the light, one of the components of all his architectures.
There was a little craft side story to report about linked with the opening of the new bridge: the women of the Scuole Vespertine (Vespertine Schools; launched by the municipality of Genoa in 1897 with the aim of teaching adults and in particular women skills such as tailoring, knitting and embroidering) also contributed to this important day for the city of Genoa. They made face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (that were given to the authorities at the opening) and embroidered them with the Genoa flag, St. George's cross.
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