The sweeping structure, which spans the Grand Canal and was the first new bridge to be built in the floating city for 70 years, was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
But it has been dogged by controversy ever since it was unveiled in 2008.
— The Telegraph
According to The Telegraph, Santiago Calatrava has been fined €78,000, or roughly $86,000, by the city of Venice due to "negligence" involved in the design of the troubled 300-foot-long Ponte della Constituzione bridge in the city.
According to the report, an Italian judge has ruled that the bridge's structural steel tubes are undersized relative to what is required to span the Grand Canal. Also, the structure's glass steps, supposedly designed to last 20 years, have had a much shorter lifespan, and have required replacement in the decade that has elapsed since the bridge first opened.
The bridge has been derided by locals, who have likened the crossing's appearance to that of "a lobster," according to The Telegraph. That's not all, however. Initially faulted for the failing to provide accessible means for crossing the stepped bridge by people with disabilities, the design was amended to include a glass, egg-shaped pod along one side of the bridge that can carry passengers over the span. The pod, no longer operational, reportedly reached internal temperatures of 122-degrees on certain summer days, however, and will have to be dismantled.
The judge highlighted the gravity of the design flaws due to the fact that they were created “by a highly-esteemed professional who is globally famous, with a long and proven record of building bridges,” the court said, according to The Telegraph.
Responding to criticism of the bridge's design when it first opened, Calatrava said, "My work is limited to the aesthetic. I had no influence in the selection of the contracting company that built the structure. A lot of things have happened that are out of my hands.”
5 Comments
"My work is limited to the aesthetic. I had no influence in the
selection of the contracting company that built the structure. A lot of
things have happened that are out of my hands.”
Seriously.
Have you never had things change on a project without your approval? If not, consider yourself fortunate.
Some of his work looks nice, but the amount of second-party engineering required to make it functional, reliable, safe, and maintainable is the subject of many lawsuits.
This man is also an engineer.
I walked over this bridge a bunch of times awhile back, actually good idea to shape the stairs such that you can pull most rolling suitcases straight up and down with ease, but just wore out the ridiculous glass stairs faster. Slips guaranteed in the rain.
scapegoat
If you cant make correct engineering specs, and your government is too corrupt or can’t afford a Porsche don’t buy one. It doesn’t look that difficult. Just hold the rails if you are clumsy
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