[Josias Lemuel Hernandez]

[ID-343
[Professor: Nathan Bright]
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 – DESIGN
SECTION 1.1 HISTORY
SECTION 1.2 CONCEPT
SECTION 1.3 VISUAL ANALOGY

CHAPTER 2 STRUCTURE
SECTION 2.1 LOADS
SECTION 2.2 COMPONENTS

CHAPTER 3 CONSTRUCTION
SECTION 3.1 THE PYLON
SECTION 3.2 MATERIALS
SECTION 3.3 RESULTS & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
CHAPTER 1 | DESIGN

HISTORY | BACKGROUND

The Alamillo Bridge was commissioned by the Junta de Andalucía for the celebration of the
Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain of 1992. No bridges had been built over the Guadalquivir
River since 1964. The bridge was part of a new roadway linking western villages together as
well as serving as one of the three main access routes to the World exposition. The architect
chosen to design the bridge was Santiago Calatrava. He is a Spanish engineer and architect.
He was commissioned to build the bridge due to a provision in Spanish law stating that; direct
commission can be given to prominent architects of international recognition without an official
competition. [ CITATION Spi99 \l 1033 ]

“The Alamillo Bridge is the most important piece of work that the
Junta de Andalucía has built on the occasion of Expo ’92… The
bridge does not simply offer [transportation] service to the city, it is one
of the most important architectural monuments that will remain after
Expo ’92 is over.” - Manuel Chaves, President of the Junta de
Andalucía.
(Pollalis, 1999)

DESIGN | CONCEPT
The concept for the bridge can be traced back to Calatrava’s 1986 “running torso” sculpture. In
this sculpture stacked marble cubes were balanced by one tension wire. Throughout his career
the natural forms in movement have inspired him. [ CITATION Iva06 \l 1033 ]

“One draws the human body to understand the movement, the

gesture. The space, the landscape, the human landscape, and
topology are important for me. These will inspire or bring the essence -
to a project. So, for myself I venerate the human body.” (Pollalis, 1999)

The original design was approved as two symmetrical bridges. The used of this design principal
was propelled by the symmetry of the riverbanks themselves. Unfortunately due to the projected
cost of construction, the Junta de Andalucía challenged Calatrava to design only one bridge and
thus began the journey to reconcile his asymmetrical single pylon design. [ CITATION Spi99 \l
1033 ]

VISUAL ANALOGY

Visual thinking and visual analogy

have always been seen as important
aids in design problem solving.
Designers are frequently assisted by
visual stimuli to enhance their designs.
[ CITATION Iva06 \l 1033 ]
Visual displays play an important role
in the early stages of the design
process, where visual analogy is considered to have large significance. In the case of the
Alamillo Bridge, Calatrava employs the visual analogy of the Brooklyn Bridge’s elevated
pedestrian walkway. The roadway itself is cantilevered out from the beam. The bridge not only
becomes a form of transportation but the parks build at its base welcome travelers to utilize its
urban public space. Much like the Brooklyn Bridge’s design, all the vehicular and pedestrian
traffic is on one side of the bridge. "This is possible because of the torsion stiffness of the bridge
itself. It drives the vocabulary of bridging and gives a little more sensibility in terms of orientation
and placement, and in creating a kind of sculptural effect for the bridge." The bridge therefore
becomes a symbol of the city and its inhabitants. [ CITATION Her04 \l 1033 ]

CHAPTER 2 | STRUCTURE

LOADS

The single plane of cables support a beam down the middle of the road, maintaining the bridge's image of a harp.

Live Loads: A combined 408 kilograms = 899.48603 pounds plus 600 Kilonewtons (kN) of
vehicular traffic were considered in the estimate of the bridge’s live load.
Dead Loads: The weight of the pylon and deck at ratio of 9 times the live load.
Thermal Loads: Are caused by the changing temperatures of the elements of the bridge.
These changes cause expansion and contraction of the bridge’s materials.
Between the summer and winter months the bridge experiences a thermal difference of
approximately 46 degrees Celsius.
Wind Loads: Spanish code OM/28-2-72 suggests the anticipated protection from a maximum
wind velocity of 50 meters per second. During the planning of the bridge, Engineers used a 500-
year wind velocity projected profile to estimate future wind turbulences. In a bridge especially,
there is special consideration to uplifting wind loads. [ CITATION Sal80 \l 1033 ]
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
Santiago Calatrava tries to express a dynamic movement of the static members in his
structures. The Alamillo Bridge demonstrates this intention with the concrete-filled steel pylon
inclined at 58 degrees. The pylon is divided internally into several pieces and its accumulated
structure allowed the weight of the pylon to counterbalance the car deck below. Like a
counterweight, the inclined pylon is anchored in the 142-meter tall.

In this process, Calatrava created a new type of cable-stayed bridge. A typical cable-stayed
bridge has an “A” shape design. Most of these types of bridges do not require two towers like
their suspension bridge counterparts. Instead, the cables are run from the roadway up to a
single tower where they are secured. Calatrava’s design was revolutionary as it was the only
cable-supported bridge that was not back-anchored. The Alamillo Bridge is balanced solely
through added weights in the Pylon. Thus, the Pylon experiences a constant bending moment.
[ CITATION Nic92 \l 1033 ]
In addition much thought and engineering was
planned and thus resulted in the use of 51
nodes, 50 beam elements, and 13 pairs of cable
components. The Cable Stays transfer loads
from the deck to the pylon. A single cable alone
can support the corresponding weight carried by
its symmetrical counterpart. This allows for
parallel cables to be replaced individually.
[ CITATION Spi99 \p 105 \l 1033 ]

The Deck of the bridge is comprised of a continuous steel box that spans the length of the
bridge: with supports at every 12 meters. The vehicular lanes are cantilevered off this deck and
are made from reinforced concrete cross sections. These cross sections enhance the torsion
and bending strength of the steel box as it withstands various loads.

The Dimensions of the Bridge are as

follows:
Main deck span-250 meters
Pylon height-162 meters

The Foundation supports all of the external

loads of the bridge. This bridge relies solely
on a single support at the foundation of the
pylon to withstand load changes. [ CITATION
Spi99 \l 1033 ]

CHAPTER 3 | CONSTRUCTION
THE PYLON

The Alamillo Bridge Completed in

just thirty-one months. It was
completed in 24 phases.
Construction began with the
foundation. It is composed of 54
reinforced concrete piles. Each is
hydraulically hammered and thus
embedded into the marlstone.
The pedestal and pylon were
constructed with the use of steel
caissons. They were mounted one
on top of the other and slowly filled
with reinforced concrete.
After the concrete hardened, the
cable stays were attached to that
segment of the pylon and the
subsequent caisson was lifted and
positioned in place. The Deck was
positioned as reinforced concrete
road slabs
[ CITATION Spi99 \l 1033 ]
MATERIALS

Calatrava was careful to choose

the appropriate materials for the bridge. The exposed materials are dressed in either steel or
concrete. The steel and concrete surfaces are painted white, and the main cables are also
placed inside white polyethylene tubes. The only part of the bridge that is not white is the
pedestrian handrail. This stainless steel element invites pedestrians to touch and interact with
the bridge.

"New materials like steel, welding and other techniques, combined

with our modern understanding of torsion, allow us a lot of new
possibilities." (Makker, 2003)

RESULTS & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The design of the bridge allowed for

the riverbanks to remain
unobstructed. This not only allows
for the natural flow of the
Guadalquivir River, but it minimizes the environmental impact to the ecosystem it harbors.
Furthermore, the bridge has become a source of pride for the people of Seville. People enjoy
crossing the river and enjoy the views of the river and the city. The bridge has given citizens
urban space with special consideration of the pedestrian walkways. Although the total cost of
the bridge was $4,760.00 per square mete. The bridge is now an extension of Seville and part
of its urban context. [ CITATION Spi99 \l 1033 ]

“The Alamillo Bridge holds a minimalist approaching the Problem of

equilibrium by using a minimum of elements," Allowing an onlooker "to
see a pattern of readability and reflection of those objects." – Santiago
Calatrava.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Casakin, H. (2004). Visual Analogy as a Cognitive Strategy in the Design Process. Expert Versus Novice
Performance   . Journal of Design Research , 4 (2), 6.

Holm, I. (2006). Ideas and beliefs in architecture and industrial design: how attitudes, orientations, and underlying
assumptions shape the built environment. Olso School of Architecture.

Janberg, N. (1992). Structurae. Retrieved 2010, from http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0000002

Makker, K. (2003). Spotlight on Design Lecture. National Building Museum , 4.

Pollalis, S. N. (1999). What is a Bridge?: The making of Calatrava's Bridge in Seville. Athens, Georgia: MIT.

Salvadori, M. (1980). Why Buildings Stand Up. New York: Norton.