Riccardo Morandi

Polcevera Viaduct, Genoa, Italy

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.

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.

Wadi el Kuf Bridge, Libya

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
• General 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]

General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge panoramic

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

1. Virlogeux
2. Troyano

External links

• Riccardo Morandi at the archINFORM database.
• Riccardo Morandi information at Structurae
• Short biography (Italian)