CERN in Geneva: the “Science Gateway”, a structure completely dedicated to education and the dissemination of science. The architecture of Science Gateway, designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop design studio, is inspired by the technical installations and underground tunnels of CERN.

The project is located within the area of the European Nuclear Research Center and involves the use of approximately 1600t of metal structural work.
Steel Project Engineering specifically dealt with the study of the executive assembly phases of the 3 pavilions, the 2 tubular structures in metal carpentry and the connecting bridge. The construction site aspect was also taken care of, with the relative organization of the construction site areas.

Furthermore, the construction site aspect was taken care of, with the related organization of the construction site areas: this aspect proved to be particularly delicate because of the presence of numerous interfering processes and the consequent evolution of the available areas.
The pavilions, which host exhibitions, practical workshops, shops, restaurants, and also an auditorium, have plan dimensions of 45mx30m (pavilion 1) and 35mx30m (pavilions 2 and 3) and have a structure.
Tubolar structures are two substantially identical structures, which extend over a length of 85m and a width of 10m.

The elevated walkway, which rises over 6m above the ground, in addition to allowing the crossing of the tram line, guarantees the connection between the various buildings.
The construction site area was carefully studied during the various phases of the construction site’s life: the storage and assembly areas, the internal construction site roads, the areas dedicated to lifting machinery were always determined taking into account and safeguarding regular activity of the other processes that took place in the surrounding areas.

Assembly began with the installation of the tubular structures and the section of walkway between them. We then moved on to assembling the pavilions and then completing the connecting walkway, paying particular attention to the static scheme which included half-joint. The sections of walkway above the pavilions were positioned at the same time as the pavilions themselves in light of the interference otherwise present with the roofs. In any case, maximum prefabrication was favored and, compatibly with the capacities of the construction site cranes, the bridge frames, the walkway macro segments and some pavilion frames were pre-assembled on the ground and then raised to heights.
We have also designed the various assembly equipment such as temporary piles, eyebolts and lifting frames, temporary supports etc.

The safe confinement steel structure for the OMO (raw materials) park located inside the “Acciaierie d’Italia” factory in Taranto has plan dimensions of 110 x 385m and is made up of 63 trussed arches, spaced by 6.20 m and with a maximum height of approximately 42m.
Because of the erection phases, the structure was divided into 9 macro-modules, each consisting of 7 arches. Once the central segments of each macro-module are assembled, they are raised by means of 4 strand jacks connected to a horizontal truss beam which can slide between vertical guides placed on the lifting towers.

Once the assembly of a single macro-module was completed, it was placed on trolleys and then pushed towards its final position by means of a couple of strand jacks.

The bridge over the river Magra at Km 10 + 422, needed to be rebuilt after the collapse of the existing bridge. It is made with a girder deck in a mixed steel-concrete system and with a static scheme of continuous beam on 4 spans 57.00 + 2 x 90.00 + 54.00 m, for a total length of 291 m.

The steel structure was divided into four macro-segments, entirely assembled at the construction site on the river bank by welding the elementary segments. Each of them was then hoisted up on provisional support and transported to their final location by SPTM, after being positioned at height on provisional supports that were also transported.
The assembly project consisted in checking the girders in each phase and in studying of the various proceedings needed to align the four segments before execution of welded joints.

The work concerns the assembly plan of a bridge located in Moggio Udinese, which has a double parallel circular arch structure with calculation span in the axis of supports equal to 74.96m, total length equal to 77.1m, overall width of the roadway. equal to 9.40m, arrow of the arches 14m approx .. The bridge is characterized by a deck which is hung from the arches by means of bar hangers. The deck is made of longitudinal tubular beams and double T crosspieces to support a reinforced concrete slab. The two arches with tubular section are spaced in plan by about 4.6m due to the oblique supports.
First, the lateral segments of the deck beams were mounted, supported by temporary piers placed in the riverbed at the thirds of the span (near the deck joint).

The segment is then erected in the key of the deck and the relative crosspieces. We then proceed with the assembly of the two lateral arch segments supported by a temporary column that stands out from the provisional pile. To close the static scheme, the central segment of arch is then erected. Arch and deck are supported in the provisional phases by saddles suitably shaped and sliding in the longitudinal direction to allow the necessary geometric adjustments.

The deck was divided into coupled beams (BiPoutres), pre-assembled in the workshop, which were then transported to an area close to the final site, assembled and placed in geometry on temporary supports. By means of trolleys, the BiPoutres were moved to the foot of the work, to then be lifted and positioned in their final configuration by cranes. Particular attention was paid to checking the stability during the lifting, laying and casting of the deck.

To ensure the rotations of the deck during the casting phase, it was necessary to provide provisional supports to be replaced when the casting is hardened with the definitive supports. Interference with the highway has been reduced to a minimum: the assembly operations were completed in just two nighttime interruptions granted by the highway manager.