Riccardo Morandi
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Riccardo Morandi
(b Rome, 1 Sept 1902; d Rome, 25 Dec 1989). Italian engineer and teacher. Having graduated from the Scuola di Applicazione per Ingegneri in Rome in 1927, he began to specialize in structural calculation and technological experimentation, his research focusing on problems in the calculation, design and construction of large structures. He became chiefly concerned with the design and building of constructions in reinforced concrete, and he paid particular attention to the innovative aspects of this technology, especially the use of pre-stressed reinforced concrete. His work can be linked to the strain of constructional rationalism originating in 19th-century designs for bridges, viaducts, factories and large-span roofing, as well as to the 20th-century works of Pier Luigi Nervi, Robert Maillart, F?lix Candela and Eduardo Torroja y Miret, with whom Morandi contributed to the transformation of reinforced concrete from a purely structural medium to an instrument of architectural expression. Morandi's works often appear as features within the landscape, characterizing the surrounding area. One of his most famous executed projects is the bridge (1957-62) on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, which is c. 9 km long, with five central spans of 235 m each and with trestles 100 m high. In Italy he built, among other projects, the terminal (1957-60; with Vincenzo Monaco and Amedeo Luccichenti) for the Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Fiumicino, Rome, and numerous bridges for the Autostrada del Sole, and the motorway viaduct (1960-65) over the River Polcevera near Genoa. He also collaborated with Gustavo Colonnetti and Piero Gazzola on the project (1961; unexecuted) for the raising of the temples at Abu Simbel in Egypt, and he taught at the universities of Florence, Rome and Florida.
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Riccardo Morandi
Riccardo Morandi (1 September 1902 – 25 December 1989) was an Italian civil engineer best known for his interesting use of reinforced concrete. Amongst his best known works were the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, an 8 km crossing of Lake Maracaibo incorporating seven cable-stayed bridge spans with unusual piers, and the Subterranean Automobile Showroom in Turin.
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Career
Morandi was born in Rome.
Following graduation in 1927, Morandi gained experience in Calabria working with reinforced concrete in earthquake damaged areas. On his return to Rome to open his own office, he continued with his technical exploration of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures and embarked on the design of a series of novel cinema structures and bridges. His numerous later works include his work on the Fiumicino Airport, Rome, in 1970 and a bridge in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1972.
Morandi was also appointed professor in bridge design both at the University of Florence and the University of Rome.
Other key works include:
- Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, Florence, Italy, 1957
- Fiumarella Viaduct, Catanzaro, Italy, 1960
- Kinnaird Bridge, Canada, 1960
- Polcevera Viaduct, Genoa, Italy, 1968, four cable-stayed spans (maximum 280 m)[1]
- Wadi el Kuf Bridge, Libya, 1971, three cable-stayed spans (for 7 years, its 281 m central span was the longest concrete cable-stayed bridge span in the world)[1]
- Carpineto Bridge, Potenza, Italy, 1973, three cable-stayed spans
- Barranquilla Bridge, Magdalena River, Colombia, 1974
- Rafael Urdaneta Bridge Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela,1962
Morandi's cable-stayed bridges are characterised by very few stays, often as few as two per span, and often with the stays constructed from prestressed concrete rather than the more usual steel cables. Although these bridges are often impressive, they are less economic than bridges with multiple stays and have therefore been of little influence on other engineers.[2]
References
- Troyano, Leonardo Fernandez (2003). Bridge Engineering: A Global Perspective. Thomas Telford Publishing.
- Virlogeux, Michel. "Bridges with Multiple Cable Stayed Spans". Structural Engineering International (1/2001).
Notes
External links
- Riccardo Morandi at the archINFORM database
- Riccardo Morandi information at Structurae
- Short biography (Italian)
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