Group 7

Reinforced Concrete Design

The first concrete structure I am going to talk about is the "Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion"
which was the new symbol of the Expo 2008. The British architect Zaha Hadid went with glass
fibre reinforced concrete from the Austrian company Rieder to envelope the 275 meter long
bridge. This bridge is located in the northern Spanish Zaragoza. She covered the outer skin of the
building with 29,000 triangles in different grey shades out of fibreC. On the day of the expo,
there were to be an estimated amount of 10,000 visitors per hour going across this bridge. The
Pavilion consists of an inhabited multi-level bridge that spans the Ebro River, linking the city to
the EXPO site. Apart from its function as a pedestrian access to the EXPO, the 275 meters long
Zaragoza Bridge is a big showroom. People can visit three exhibitions relating to the water and
sustainability theme. Four curved vaults on two floors offer an exhibition area of 7000 square
meters. Zaha Hadid chose triangular panels made of glass fibre reinforced concrete - fibreC for
the envelope of the bridge. A sophisticated pattern out of 29,000 elements in different grey
shades causes an effect like shiny fish scales and will shimmer in the sunshine on completion.
Due to its dimensional effect, the fibreC triangles imbue the outer skin of the pavilion with life,
reflecting the glittering and varied facets if the water. "The composition of fibreC out of
degradable, purely mineral raw materials entirely complies with the current trend of natural,
environmentally-friendly and sustainable materials", says CEO Wolfgang Rieder.

My next concrete structure I want to talk about is the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.
The Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding tower in the U.S., but it also offers thrill rides,
a lounge, a revolving gourmet restaurant, indoor and outdoor observation decks, and a wedding
chapel. The "brainchild" of the Stratosphere Tower was Bob Stupak. In 1993, the project caught
fire. Luckily, it was mostly concrete and there was little that could burn. The Stratosphere Tower
cost $550 million to build. Ground-breaking was held on Nov. 5, 1991, and the crowing spire
was lowered into place by helicopter on Nov. 4, 1995. During the four years that were needed to
build it, several critical phases of construction took place. Located at the tower's base, three
rectangular legs had to be set on a 12-foot-thick concrete pad foundation. They were positioned
like a tripod around a concrete hexagon center. The legs taper toward that center, coming
together at the 255-foot level. From there, they turn outward rising an additional 535 feet and
supporting the mushroom-like structure at the top, called the pod. At 1,149 feet in height, the
Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding tower in the United States and the tallest structure
west of the Mississippi River. It's also taller than the Eiffel Tower. The Stratosphere Tower
weighs approximately 100 million pounds. Its double-deck elevators travel at speeds of 1,800
feet per minute. Almost 290 miles of rebar were used during the construction of the tower which
is the approximate distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
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Figure 1 Stratosphere Tower

Figure 2 Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion

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Works Cited
"History of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas | eHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About

Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Web. 28 Sept. 2009.

<http://www.ehow.com/about_5068215_history-stratosphere-tower-las-vegas.html>.

"Architectural Bridge Building for the Expo 2008 | Design Events." Dexigner Design Portal | Design

News. Web. 28 Sept. 2009. <http://www.dexigner.com/design_events/architectural-bridge-

building-for-the-expo-2008.html>.