Boletín / Newsletter

Manuel Mujica Millan: Alarife en Venezuela

Manuel Mujica Millán: Alarife en Venezuela.

En conmemoración de los 50 años del fallecimiento del arquitecto espanol Manuel Mujica Millán. El arquitecto más representativo y modelador de la imagen urbana del casco central de la ciudad de Mérida, Venezuela.

Exposición gráfica de sus obras en Mérida, producto del trabajo con los estudiantes del seminario La Arquitectura de Manuel Mujica Millán, Facultad de Arquitectura de la ULA.

Coloquio con la participación de investigadores y docentes de la ULA y la UCV.
Panel de ponentes:
Maciá Pintó - UCV
Juan José Pérez Rancel - UCV
Bernardo Moncada Cárdenas - ULA
Jesús Rondón Nucete - ULA
Beatriz Febres-Cordero - ULA
José Luis Chacón - ULA
Heberto Albornoz -ULA
Meridalba Muñoz Bravo - ULA.

Evento dirigido a arquitectos, profesionales y público en general interesados en conocer la obra y los postulados de Manuel Mujica Millán.
Costo del evento por persona: 250 Bs.
Cupo: 80 personas.
Información: Oficina de Postgrado de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Diseño - ULA. 
Telf.: 0274-2401964 0274-4157181

Evento respaldado por DOCOMOMO Venezuela.

 Rectorado de la ULA, Manuel Mujica Millan (f. 2010, Alicia Perdomo. Tomado de manosalaobratv.ning.com)

A one day conference in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Spanish architect Manuel Mujica Millán. The most representative architect and urban form giver of Merida city's core, Venezuela.

Exhibition of his works in Merida, organized with the students of the Seminar The Architecture of Manuel Mujica Millán, Facultad de Arquitectura of the ULA.
 

Discussion with the participation of researchers and teachers from ULA and UCV.
Panel speakers:
Maciá Pintó - UCV

Juan José Pérez Rangel - UCV

Bernardo Moncada Cárdenas - ULA 

Jesus Rondón Nucete - ULA 

Beatriz Febres-Cordero - ULA 

Jose Luis Chacón - ULA  

Heberto Albornoz - ULA   

Meridalba Muñoz Bravo - ULA.

An event for architects, professionals and the general public interested in learning about the work and the principles of Manuel Mujica Millán.
Event cost per person: 250 Bs
Limit: 80 people.
Information: Oficina de Postgrado de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Diseño - ULA. 
Tel: 0274-2401964 0274-4157181
 

An event supported by DOCOMOMO Venezuela.

Boletín / Newsletter

Las ITALIAS de Caracas, 
Premio AICA 2012 al mejor Catalogo de Arte /
Awarded with Premio AICA 2012 for best Art Catalogue

Catalogo de la exposicion Las ITALIAS de Caracas. Sala TAC/DOCOMOMO Venezuela, Caracas (2012).

Ayer domingo 12 de mayo de 2013 le fue otorgado el Premio AICA 2012 en la mención Catálogo de Arte, al Catálogo de la exposición Las ITALIAS de Caracas, editado por la Sala TAC y DOCOMOMO Venezuela (2012). Nuestro agradecimiento a AICA capitulo Venezuela y felicitaciones para todos! /

Yesterday, Sunday 12, 2013, the AICA Award 2012, category Art Catalogue, was given to the catalogue of the exhibition Las ITALIAS de Caracas, published by the Sala TAC and DOCOMOMO Venezuela in 2012. Thank you AICA Venezuelan Chapter and congratulations to all!

Boletín / Newsletter

La Plaza de la Revolución de Ljubljana y el Centro Simón Bolívar de Caracas

Plaza de la Revolución de Ljubljana (f. ©2005-2013 nonart.urbansedlar.com).

 postal e_27

Charla:  La Plaza de la Revolución de Ljubljana y el Centro Simón Bolívar de Caracas

Fecha:   28 de febrero

Lugar:   Cabrini, PB, Avenida Orinoco, Las Mercedes, Caracas.

Hora:     6:00 p.m.

Ponente:  Tina Potočnik MA        

       

En esta charla se presenta la historia de la construcción del conjunto de la Plaza de la Revolución en Ljubljana, Eslovenia (una de las antiguas repúblicas yugoeslavas), y el estado de la investigación acerca de su vinculación con el conjunto arquitectónico del Centro Simón Bolívar en Caracas. La posibilidad que el conjunto de la Plaza de la Revolución (concurso: 1959/1960, construcción en los tempranos 80’s, y luego rebautizada como conjunto de la Plaza de la Republica) construido por Edvard Ravnikar -el más importante arquitecto esloveno despues de la Segunda Guerra Mundial-, sea una variante del Centro Simón Bolívar (1949-1955), obra del urbanista frances Maurice E.H. Rotival y del arquitecto venezolano Cipriano J. Domínguez, será discutida.

Tina Potočnik

Tina Potočnik (1983) es historiadora de Arte, con estudios de posgrado en Historia del Arte en el campo de la Conservación y de la Museologia (Maestría en Arte, 2010). Actualmente está culminando su disertación doctoral sobre Arquitectura. Desde 2009 trabaja como asistente de investigación en el France Stele Institute of Art History, Scientific Research Centre de la Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Eslovenia, en Ljubljana, donde trabaja en diversos proyectos de investigación. Su trabajo abarca varios tópicos de la arquitectura del siglo veinte, con énfasis en el período de posguerra y especial atención en la política, la ideologia, la identidad (en conexión con el entorno construido) y la herencia construida. Tina Potočnik es también miembro de DOCOMOMO Eslovenia.

Docomomo Venezuela es el capítulo venezolano  de Docomomo International. Nuestro objetivo es darle un nuevo empuje a la investigación, educación, registro y promoción de la vasta y significativa herencia moderna de Venezuela, ampliando el impacto y el campo de acción en todo el país por esta causa. Su presidente es Graziano Gasparini.

DOCOMOMO VE, edificio Cabrini, PB, Avenida Orinoco, Las Mercedes, Caracas, 1060. 
Tel.: +58 212 993 8360 / fax: +58 212 762 0237 
email: docomomo.ve@gmail.com 
twitter: docomomo_ve 
facebook: DOCOMOMO VE 

DOCOMOMO SLOVENIA: http://www.docomomo.si/



Links
Revista Entre Rayas

 

Inscripciones / Membership

Hazte miembro / Join us!

 

Jornada de inscripiones en el Hotel Avila, Caracas (f. 2012, Marylee Coll - DOCOMOMO Venezuela).

 

Como organización basada principalmente en los aportes de sus miembros, la afiliación a Docomomo VE es esencial en nuestra lucha por la promoción de la conciencia y del interés público por la Arquitectura Moderna. Por ello, queremos proponerle que se haga miembro, y si ya lo es, que renueve y/o promueva su membresía.

Las membresías vencen cada mes de Noviembre previo al año de afiliación. Docomomo Venezuela fue lanzado en Noviembre de 2010 e instaurado legalmente en Abril de 2011.

Los beneficios de ser miembro nacional de DOCOMOMO VE incluyen:

- Afiliación al capitulo local y derecho a participar en los equipos de trabajo y proyectos de DOCOMOMO Venezuela.
- Información nacional.
- Descuentos en eventos locales y nacionales y publicaciones.

Los beneficios de ser miembro internacional de DOCOMOMO International (€30/anual) incluyen todo los anterior, más:

- Descuentos en eventos internacionales y publicaciones.
- Información internacional.
- DOCOMOMO Journal.

Cuotas: 

Inscripción general: Bs. 100,00
Miembro nacional (2012-2013): Bs. 375,00
Miembro nacional/estudiante (2012-2013) : Bs. 188,00
Miembro internacional (2012-2013): 30,00 € 

Este saldo puede ser cancelado mediante un depósito o a transferencia en bolívares (el monto en euros calculado diariamente) a nuestra cuenta en 100%100 banco, número 040-017690-5, requiriendo que un scan de los mismos nos sea enviado al correo electrónico: docomomo.ve@gmail.com. DOCOMOMO Venezuela cancela el saldo anual de su membresia internacional a través de su cuenta en la página web de DOCOMOMO International.

Su afiliación y contribuciones a DOCOMOMO VE nos permitirán continuar produciendo y mejorando nuestra programación anual, creando nuevos e interesantes eventos, respondiendo a las exigencias solicitadas anualmente por Docomomo International, proveyendo una mejor accesibilidad a importantes fuentes de información sobre el patrimonio moderno, produciendo contenidos originales para nuestros sitios electrónicos y dando las necesarias señales de alarma.

Gracias por su apoyo a DOCOMOMO Venezuela!

Unete a DOCOMOMO VE

2013 DOCOMOMO: Nueva campaña de inscripción

"Planchart & Cia. Sucr. S.A.", Caracas (Archivo Fundacion de la Memoria Urbana).

DOCOMOMO Venezuela fue lanzado en noviembre de 2010 como un grupo nacional de  DOCOMOMO International y luego fue formalmente establecido como una fundación sin fines de lucro en abril de 2011 en la ciudad de Caracas. Su objetivo es la documentación y conservación de los edificios y complejos urbanos del siglo XX, trabajando por su puesta en valor. La fundación considera como su objetivo principal el conocimiento y la documentación del patrimonio arquitectónico moderno, la preservación de su salvaguarda y el estudio de metodologías y criterios de intervención apropiados y sensibles a su valor testimonial. En esta acción tiene como interlocutores a los académicos, a departamentos universitarios, a las autoridades locales y las industrias involucradas en el campo de la restauración, así como a las instituciones encargadas de la tutela del patrimonio en toda Venezuela.

"Italia y Venezuela unidas por el arte". Charla del profesor Roldán Esteva-Grillet, Sala TAC, Caracas   
(f. 12/7/2012 - DOCOMOMO Venezuela).

En los últimos dos años y medio, gracias a las personas que se han unido y participado personalmente en las actividades de DOCOMOMO VE, hemos hecho, entre muchas otras cosas:
 
2009 Participación por Venezuela en congresos y conferencias internacionales: Willemstadt: The Impact of Caribbean Modern Architecture.
2010 Participación por Venezuela en congresos y conferencias internacionales: Ciudad de México, 11th International Docomomo Conference.
2010-2013 Creación y mantenimiento del blogspot y de las cuentas en facebook DOCOMOMO VE y Twitter @docomomo_ve.
2011 Ciclo de conferencias (6) La Arquitectura de Influencia Española en Venezuela.

2011 Primer curso de Dibujo de Ciudad_Las Mercedes.

2011 Entrega del Homework 2011 a Docomomo ISCT Registers: Salud.
2011 Colaboraciones en Docomomo Journal (Barcelona, España): Docomomo Journal 42, “The Dwellers: The Integration of Art and the Architecture in the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas”. 
2011 Creación de la Pasantía Académica “Docomomo Venezuela” en la FAU UCV.

2012 Exposición Las Italias de Caracas (récord de asistencia Sala TAC, Caracas).
2012 Ciclo de conferencias (4) Las Italias de Caracas.
2012 Publicación del catálogo de la exposición Las Italias de Caracas (primera publicación de Docomomo Venezuela, Caracas).
2012 Colaboraciones en Docomomo Journal (Barcelona, España): Docomomo Journal 45, “The Bridge Over The Lake: Spanning Across lake Maracaibo in Venezuela”.
2012 Participación por Venezuela en congresos y conferencias internacionales: Helsinki, 13th International Docomomo Conference.
2010-2012 Participación por Venezuela en congresos y conferencias internacionales: NYC, GSAPP CU: Fitch Colloquium; Bronx Museum: Beyond the Super Square; Americas Society: Gego at One Hundred Years.
2012 Co-fundación de la Asociación Civil Plan Estratégico Caracas 2020, Alcaldía Metropolitana de Caracas.
2012 Promoción y realización del Concurso Parque verde La Carlota (aporte de dos Jurados principales)
2010-2013 Registro fotográfico y levantamiento de datos de archivo (Registro Docomomo VE).
Adecuación y puesta en funcionamiento de la sede de Docomomo VE en Caracas y custodia de material patrimonial.
Servicio de información (asistencia gratuita nacional e internacional)
Vigilia nacional e internacional del patrimonio moderno.
Alianzas estratégicas (Alcaldia Metropolitana de Caracas, COPRED)
Servicio diplomático.
Gestión cultural. 
Fund raising.

Inicie o renueve su membresía para el 2013!

Para obtener más información sobre los tipos de inscripción busque: Inscripciones

Exposición / Exhibition

Las ITALIAS de Caracas_en Porlamar 

 

Curaduría / Curatorship: DoCoMoMo Venezuela

Producción / Production: Sala TAC / DoCoMoMo Venezuela

Inauguración / Opening: Diciembre / December 2, 2012

Hora / Time: 11:00 am

Lugar / Place: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Francisco Narváez, Porlamar, Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela.
 

Esta exposición ha sido posible llevarla a Porlamar gracias al apoyo del Instituto Italiano de Cultura de Caracas, la Gobernación del Estado Nueva Esparta y al Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Francisco Narváez.

This exhibition travelled to the city of Porlamar thanks to the support of the Instituto Italiano de Cultura de Caracas, the Gobernación del Estado Nueva Esparta and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Francisco Narváez.

Exposición / Exhibition

Las ITALIAS de Caracas

Desde los 30s, oleadas de inmigrantes provenientes de todas las regiones de Italia, llegaron a los puertos venezolanos en los grandes barcos italianos de la época. Algunas veces para regresar a Italia luego de un tiempo y reanudar allí sus vidas interrumpidas por la guerra y la pobreza, pero la mayoría de las veces para quedarse en Venezuela para siempre.

Estos son los "Especialistas". Una multitud valerosa de trabajadores que vinieron a reconstruir sus vidas y que, haciéndolo, lo primero que reconstruyeron fue su propia ciudad fragmentada. Fugitivos de los problemas de sus países, llegaron para llenar el valle de Caracas y sus colinas de los fragmentos arquitectónicos y urbanos de sus recuerdos. El momento constructivo que el país vivía debido al boom petrolero, encontró en estos refinados arquitectos, experimentados ingenieros, sabios constructores, poéticos artistas y magníficos artesanos italianos la herramienta más eficiente para la transformación del entorno, aprendiendo de ellos, confiando en ellos... y también volviéndose un poco ellos.

El capítulo italiano de la herencia moderna de Caracas, en sus divinas hibridizaciones con la cultura local, cambió la psicología ambiental de la ciudad moderna, revelándole a la gente culturalmente el potencial escénico del lugar, la especificidad de los sitios, y enseñándolos a hacer una arquitectura más urbana. Sin sus Italias, el ambiente vital de Caracas nunca será el mismo.

 Villa Monzeglio, Colinas de Bello Monte, Caracas. Antonio Montini, 1953.

Las ITALIAS de Caracas (f. EL NACIONAL)

From the 1930s, waves of immigrants coming from all the regions of Italy arrived to the Venezuelan harbors in the great Italian liners of the time. Sometimes to return to Italy after a while and resume there their lives interrupted by war and poverty, but most of the times to stay in Venezuela forever.

These are the "Specialists".  A multitude of brave workers that came to reconstruct their lives and that, in doing so, the first thing they reconstructed was their own fragmented city. Fugitive of the problems of their countries, they came to fill the valley and the hills of Caracas with the architectural and urban fragments of their memories. The building moment that the country was living due to the oil boom, found in these fine architects, experienced engineers, wise builders, poetic artists and magnificent  Italian artisans the most efficient tool for the transformation of the environment, learning from them, trusting them... and also slightly becoming them.

The Italian chapter of Caracas Modern Heritage, in its divine hibridizations with local culture, changed the environmental psychology of the modern city, culturally revealing to the people the place's scenic potential, the specificity of sites, and teaching them to make urban architecture. Without its Italias, the living environment of Caracas would never be the same.

Las ITALIAS de Caracas (f. EL UNIVERSAL)

Curaduría y producción / Curatorship and Production: DoCoMoMo Venezuela

Inauguración: Julio 4, 2012

Hora: 7:00 pm

Lugar: Sala TAC, Trasnocho Cultural, Paseo Las Mercedes. Caracas, Venezuela.

Clausura: Julio 29, 2012

Opening: July 4, 2012

Time: 7:00 pm

Place: Sala TAC, Trasnocho Cultural, Paseo Las Mercedes. Caracas, Venezuela.

Ended: July 29, 2012

 Los paneles / The panels  (f. Tal Cual digital)

Links
DoCoMoMo ITALIA
DoCoMoMo Ibérico
Tráfico Visual
Caracas Shots
Arte en la red 
César Miguel Rondón
el-nacional.com 
El Universal
Tal Cual 

Sala TAC

Docomomo Journal

The Bridge Over the Lake:
Spanning Across lake Maracaibo in Venezuela

The bridge across the lake can be always seen from the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela.

by Hannia Gómez, Rino Montiel *

"When I am going to Maracaibo and begin the bridge to cross,
I feel such a strong emotion that my mind begins to blur."[1]
Maracaibo 15.

The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge spanning over Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela (1958-1962), designed by Ing. Professor Riccardo Morandi, a masterpiece of modern engineering, is now a Modern Landmark at Risk. The remarkable and little known story of the construction of this structure "could not be accomplished by a handful of men. From planning to financing, from design to construction, a great number of Venezuelan and European engineers worked jointly in Wiesbaden, Caracas, Rome, Maracaibo, Zürich, Paris, and Lisbon. In this way, one of the most outstanding structures of our time was erected within the stipulated -and brief- construction time."[2]

Satellital view of Maracaibo with the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, Venezuela.

A Lake Facade

The city of Maracaibo has in the Bridge across Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, (or "Bridge Over the Lake," as it is commonly known), a monumental modern city gate of territorial importance like no other city in Venezuela, and maybe in the world.

The bridge can always be seen from the city of Maracaibo. Its unforgettable architecture draws a modern skyline on the lake surface, completing the horizontal and extended skyline of the city itself. The bridge is the main sign of the modernity of Maracaibo: it is its façade on the lake, and its upmost modern landmark.

This masterpiece, built in the period 1958-1962, "was recognized at its time as one of the greatest works of modern engineering, enhancing its majesty the fact that it crosses the lake of Maracaibo, the largest in South America and a large reservoir of oil fields."[3] It is the subject of enduring national pride, having been designated on July 16, 2001, as a Good of Cultural Interest of Zulia State, and listed as a National Landmark on August 21, 2002.

Almost a decade after these landmark designations, the dramatic decay of its overall structure and the increasing difficulties to preserve its original qualities situates it as a Modern Monument at Risk, in heavy need of attracting the international attention of the scientific community.

Cover of the book by Dr. =Ing. Simons, Hanns, Wind, Heinz and Moser, W. Hans, compilators, The Bridge Spanning Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela: The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, The Bauverlag GmbH, Wiesbaden-Berlin, Germany, (1963).

Building a bridge across time

The most important record and unique compilation of the history of Bridge General Rafael Urdaneta was published in a non-commercial book in 1963 in Germany by Dr.=Ing. Hanns Simons, Heinz Wind, and W. Hans Moser. It is called The Bridge Spanning Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela: The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge.[4] Most of the information and illustrations that we include here come from that book, which is a landmark in itself.

Every single step of the construction process is there described thoroughly with wonderful drawing schemes and photographs. Running through the pages is like jumping back to an era of excellence, courage and building genius.

The bridge is an important link to the international road network.

1. Bridge Will Assist Communications and Economic Development

By 1961, Venezuela "had an annual petroleum production of 150 million tons, and in the Western World it was second only to the United States as a producer, ranking first as a petroleum exporter. Seventy percent of the oil produced came from the Maracaibo area." The reserves at that time were "among the richest in the world."[5]

Until 1956, "Maracaibo, remained physically distanced from Venezuela. Zulia State's economy was fundamentally based on port activity, and it was easier to travel to the islands of Aruba and Curacao than to Caracas, the capital city."[6] In the rest of the country "the development of industry and agriculture, and the exploitation of mineral resources were hampered by the long distances to be traveled in difficult terrain. Consequently, economic development essentially called for the construction of new, and the improvement of existing communications." In addition, "new and improved communications with neighboring countries were required to provide transportation facilities. Improvement of the Pan-American Highway, comprising the Lake Maracaibo Bridge, ranked high among the tasks to be handled."[7] The bridge was an important solution to link to the international road network.

What was called at the time "The Oil Country" on the east shore, would be "finally connected with Maracaibo. Venezuela's major oil-fields are located in the eastern part of Zulia. There -between Cabimas and Mene Grande- petroleum from the inland and offshore wells is collected and piped, field-processed and transferred to oil tankers. The oil companies have their head offices, wharves, repair shops and utilities at Maracaibo, where, on the western shore of the lake, are also situated the harbor facilities and the international airport".[8]

2. From Planning to Contact Award

Never before a bridge of such proportions had been built as a reinforced and prestressed concrete structure. Its total length of 8, 678m, five 235m main spans and 45m headroom launched this bridge in the late 1950s as the longest bridge of this kind in the world.

In the initial stage, the Venezuelan Government "carried out extensive investigations to determine the most favorable point for crossing the lake, by it by bridge or tunnel." Five routes were tested. "Routes A to E were tested with regards to topography of the lake bottom, type of subsoil, navigation requirements and, in particular, in respect of connection with Maracaibo's traffic system. From all these, Route D provided the best solution in that it gave a direct connection between the new international airport and the oil-fields on the east shore of Lake Maracaibo. A further advantage of this route is that it runs at right angles to the shipway direction of current, which makes navigation under the bridge much simpler."

Having thus established the most suitable location, "the Government of Venezuela in 1956 called for bids for a 9,000m long structure along Route D. Bidders were invited to offer a bridge or a tunnel, or a combination thereof. The structure has to have four highway lanes, a single-track railroad and openings."[9]

It was in this way that "from different parts of the world proposal began to arrive: tunnel and bridge projects or their varied combinations."[10]

3. First international Tender Action (1956).

Ten firms were invited to tender. They submitted eighteen varied designs. Four of these designs "would permit a continuous flow of road and rail traffic, regardless of shipping."[11] The other designs "provided level railway and road approach sections as far as the central spans. For rail traffic there was then a vertical lift bridge, and for road traffic a tunnel or a separate bridge to link the approach sections."[12]

4. Second International Tender Action (1957).

The tenders submitted during the first action had to be abandoned, "because of fresh stipulations about the shipping and highway authorities. Accordingly, the Venezuelan Government in 1957 invited the same selected firms to submit new bids to take account of the changed conditions.

It was specified that the free central span of the bridge should have a 400m waterway, and that on either side of this there should be five openings each giving a waterway of 150m. It was also specified that these eleven openings should have a 45m vertical clearance and be located above the natural shipping channel.

Twelve bids were submitted; they ranged from 284 million to 760 million Bolivars. (At that time the exchange rate was 3.35 Bolivars to the American dollar). With one exception, all the designs provided for a steelwork superstructure. Only one tender submitted was based on an all-reinforced and prestressed concrete structure."[13]

The government commission recommended the acceptance of this bid because:

"1. Greatly reduced maintenance costs. Because of the climatic conditions in the Maracaibo area, the annual upkeep of a steel structure was estimated at two million Bolivars.

2. The visual appeal of the design. 3. Less foreign exchange would have to be spent on imported materials. 4. A large number of Venezuelan engineers and skilled labor would be given the opportunity of acquiring experience in prestressed concrete fabric.

Thus, on 25th May, 1957, the Venezuelan Government approved the design and accepted the bid of 329,580,136 Bolivars. The finalized contract was signed in Caracas, on 15th August, 1957."[14]

Riccardo Morandi, engineer (Rome1902-1989). Photographer and date unknown.

5. The Men Behind The Design

But, who were the bid winners? The Venezuelan Ministry of Public Works awarded the contract for the design and construction of the new bridge "to the Consortium Puente Maracaibo. The Consortium comprised Precomprimido C.A., from Caracas, Venezuela, and Julius Berger A.G., from Wiesbaden, Germany. Firms associated with included Grün & Bilfinger A.G., Mannheim, Philipp Holzmann A.G., Frankfurt a.M., and Wayss & Freytag K.G., Frankfurt a.M., all of Germany. Most importantly, a design by Professor Ing. Riccardo Morandi, Rome, "served as the basis for the structural analysis and detail plans."[15]

World-known Professor Morandi was born in Rome in 1902 and graduated in Engineering also in Rome in 1927. He was an internationally acclaimed engineer, "who practiced as an international counselor in Building Construction Techniques and as a Professor in charge of Bridge Form and Structure courses at the Facoltà di Architettura dell˙Università di Firenze. Before winning the international competition for the bridge over lake Maracaibo, he had won in Venezuela in 1951 an international competition to build a bridge in the zone of Pagüita in Caracas and had built a bridge over the river Tuy, close to the capital."[16]

Prof. Ing. Morandi's design for the second tender.

Prof. Ing. Morandi's design for the second tender.

Precomprimido C.A. founders, engineers Oscar Benedetti and Juan Otaola Paván, circa 1950. (f. Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas).

Precomprimido C.A is since 1951 "Venezuela's most important engineering and construction company. Its founders, engineers Juan Otaola Paván and Oscar Benedetti, were pioneers in Venezuela in the construction of highly engineered works. Theirs was the first company to use prestressed concrete in the country. Among their other Caracas important engineering works are the Viaduct New Republic (also with Riccardo Morandi, 1954) and the famous La Gaviota Bridge (1955)."[17]

The Consortium was also conformed by the renowned German enterprise founded in 1890, Julius Berger A.G., and engaged Professor J. Kérisel, Paris, "to handle the particularly complex aspects of soil mechanics. The National Laboratory of Portugal, Lisbon, was commissioned by the Venezuelan Government to carry out models tests to prove the fundamental principles and structural analysis results. The examination of the structural analysis and working drawings prepared by the Consortium and the control of design were entrusted to the late Professor P. Lardy, G. Schnitter, and Dr. F. Stüssi, of the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Zürich. The excellent co-operation of all concerned made it possible to complete the prodigious construction, including all design work, within the contract time of forty months."[18]

An immediate start was made on equipping the site. Nevertheless, in January 1958, operations had to be suspended because a new government came in to power. The dictatorship of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez had come to an end after a major popular rebellion. On February 13, 1959 Rómulo Betancourt takes office to rule the country for the second time, in a term that "was marked by the development of the oil industry in Venezuela with its adherence to OPEC", and the building great civil works.[19] It was his duty "to inaugurate the work on August 14, 1962."[20]

Fortunately in the meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works managed "to discuss with the contractors ways of reducing the construction costs. As there would have been no immediate need for a railroad rack across Lake Maracaibo, it was decided that this part of the project should be dropped. Also, at the request of shipping interests, the proportions of the main spans were amended. The design was revised to give five openings, each having a 200m width of waterway, and the original 400m wide central opening was deleted; the vertical clearance was to be 45m.

In April 1959 work was started."[21]

The 235m main spans. The deck is 50m above the lake level.

6. Principles of Winning Design

Maracaibo is not situated in a seismic area, but it is not immune to shock waves from earthquakes in adjacent regions. As is written in the book, "the employer required that, should one span of the bridge be affected by an earthquake disturbance, the adjoining spans would not also suffer damage". Therefore, the design provided for all members to be of the statically determinate type.

In order to complete the 8, 678m long bridge in the short contract time, it was essential that, wherever possible, uniform members should be used. This enabled numerous units to be prefabricated at a plant on shore, specially equipped for the purpose.

Site seen from the air.

Starting from the low eastern shore, the structure features a 406m long embankment, after which come twenty 36.60m spans. This effective span was decided upon for the railway and road bridge, and had to be adhered to because the foundations had been completed when it was decided that the bridge should be for road traffic only. Then follows a section having seventy-seven 46.60m spans, initially, this is 5.5m above water level and then rises at a gradient of 0.4 per cent and ultimately at a gradient of 2.47 per cent to reach a height of 24m. Up to this point the 46.60m spans provide openings of balanced proportions. But if this span had been retained for the next section of the bridge, extending to a height of 50m, the design would have been monotonous and the piers disproportionately high.

Therefore, the span was increased to 85m, and instead of plain piers, V and H trestle piers were employed; on top of them were mounted 39m long caps, thereby permitting the continued use of the 46.60m girders as suspended spans. As the height of the bridge increases, the V shape of the trestle piers is gradually transformed to an H by lengthening the pier legs in their lower parts. The size of the caps, V-sections of the piers and cross beams remains constant. Consequently, only minor changes were required in the centering, shuttering and reinforcement, from one pier to another. This facilitated and accelerated the construction operations.

Two special trussed steel centering were fabricated for the caps. They had high-quality plywood shuttering. The shuttering and practically all the reinforcement were assembled on these centering on land, and a complete service girder was placed in position with the aid of large floating cranes. It was extremely difficult to bridge the navigation openings of 200m waterway and 45m headroom by a reinforced concrete structure.

Handling a 6m long pile.

The Ajax 250-ton floating crane handles 46.60m precast girders.

The Giraffe 125-ton floating crane places a service girder on one of the two highest piers of the 85 m spans.

Trestle pier towers 49.50m into the sky.

Climbing shuttering for V-shaped piers in place.

Concreting pier cap.

Structures 22, 23, 24 and 25 under construction.

A service girder is being raised into position.

To this end, for the first time in the world, five large tied cantilever bridges of concrete, having 235m spans, were designed and constructed. The inclined ropes for the cantilevered girders pass over 92.5m high reinforced concrete towers. Extensive investigations and calculations were necessary to determine the complex system of forces in the ropes, cantilevered portions and reinforced concrete towers."[22]

Bridge ropes were pulled on the catwalks up to the roller saddle and down the other side.

8. Bridge Administration (1962-1990)

Forty months after the works had begun, the bridge was ready to start operating.[23].

From 1962 until 1990, "the management of the bridge was done by the National Government through the Ministry of Finance, who performed the activities of collection and administration of funds, and by the Ministry of Public Works, responsible for maintaining the structure.

In December 1989, the Congress of Venezuela transferred directly to the states the conservation and use of all the roads, bridges and highways in their territories. On July 26, 1991, the Zulia State Legislative Assembly enacted the "Law according to which the Zulia State assumes the Conservation, Management and Use of the bridge General Rafael Urdaneta over Lake Maracaibo."[24]

14. Preservation Policies (1990-2009)

According to a concern for keeping in optimum condition the bridge structure, the Zulia State Government assumed as a priority the allocation of investments for the rehabilitation and continuous improvement of the bridge's conditions.

The main objective was to restore the structure to its "brand new" condition, taking into account the bridge's original load capacity and levels of service."[25]

15. Maracaibo Bridge is Falling Down

In May, 2009, the Venezuelan Government decided to re-centralize again the management of the bridge. Since then, an increasing deterioration began. This decay lasts until today. Minor and major maintenance "is only performed to correct problems and as a reaction to crisis."[26]

In 2010, the Colegio de Ingenieros de Venezuela publicly expressed their alarm. They said that the bridge is in an emergency, "due to a crack in its structure which has yielded several centimeters." In this regard, they asked for its immediate closing: "A comprehensive review of the entire structure is required, and can no longer be postponed." And they warned that "a partial collapse might occur." The main problem is "the degradation of concrete in several of the bridge parts" and the decay of the ropes. Also, "the falling parts of concrete pieces, leaving the steel uncovered."[27] Corrosion damage is practically everywhere.

Traffic in the bridge over the lake has increased enormously, but as the control scales are damaged, no one surveys the number of vehicles going upon it today. A very dramatic situation for a structure designed for a maximum of 20,000 vehicles per day, which now is said to be having 40,000 per day.

Local fishermen and marines from the Lake Maracaibo also do their own alarm call to the national and international community: "If you see the bridge form below, you would not want to pass over it."

View of center spans.

* The authors want to give special thanks to architects Jazmine Lizcano, Director of the Centro Rafael Urdaneta in Maracaibo, Zulia State, and Frank Alcock, grandson of engineer Gustavo San Román, who participated with his firm VICA in the tender actions for this bridge, both DoCoMoMo Venezuela members.

Endotes:

[1] "Cuando voy a Maracaibo/y empiezo a pasar el puente/siento una emoción tan grande/que se me nubla la mente," Maracaibo 15, from the Zulian gaita Cuando voy a Maracaibo, (1960s).

[2] Dr. =Ing. Simons, Hanns, Wind, Heinz and Moser, W. Hans, compilators, The Bridge Spanning Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela: The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, The Bauverlag GmbH, Wiesbaden-Berlin, Germany, (1963)

[3] Remark from engineer Rino Montiel, ex-Director of bridge General Rafael Urdaneta.

[4] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Op.Cit.,(1963): 19.

[5] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Ibid., (1963): 5.
[6] R. Montiel.
[7] Idem, (1963): 5.

[8] Idem, (1963): 6.

[9] Idem, (1963): 7.

[10] R. Montiel.
[11] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Op.Cit., (1963): 8.
[12] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Ibid. (1963): 9.
[13] Idem, (1963): 9.
[14] Idem, (1963): 10.

[15] Idem, (1963): 1.
[16] Santini, Pier Carlo and Marini, Giusseppe Luigi, "Riccardo Morandi", in: Catalogo Bolaffi della Architettura Italiana, Giulio Bolaffi Editore, Torino, (1966): 380-383.
[17] Precomprimido C.A. : http://www.precomprimido.com/
[18] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Op.Cit., (1963): 1
[19] Rómulo Betancourt, http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B3mulo_Betancourt
[20] R. Montiel.
[21] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Op.Cit., (1963): 10.

[22] Simons, Wind, and Moser, Ibid. (1963): 12-14.
[23] Idem, (1963): 120-121
[24] R. Montiel.
[25] R. Montiel.
[26] R. Montiel.

[27] "Expertos piden declarar en emergencia al Puente sobre el Lago de Maracaibo," http://ovario.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/expertos-piden-declarar-en-emergencia-al-puente-sobre-el-lago-de-maracaibo/

References

1. Revista del Colegio de Ingenieros de Venezuela, Caracas, (1952): 168.
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4. Billington, David P., "History and Aesthetics of Cable-Stayed Bridges", in Journal of Structural Engineering (ASCE), n. 10, v. 117, October, (1991). 5. Brown, David J., Bridges, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York (USA), ISBN 002517455X, (1993): 130.
6. Deswarte, Sylvie, L'architecture et les ingénieurs, Moniteur, Paris (France), ISBN 2281190994, (1997): 144.
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14. Picon, Antoine, L'art de l'ingénieur, Éditions du Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (France), ISBN 2858509115, (1997): 278-279.
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17. Sarcos Portillo, Antonio R., "Structural Study of Piers 30 and 33 Bearing Saddles, Maracaibo Bridge, Venezuela", in Structural Engineering International, n. 1, v. 12, February, (2002)
18. Sarcos Portillo, Antonio R., "Evaluating the Central Piers of the Maracaibo Bridge, Venezuela", in Structural Engineering International, n. 2, v. 9, May, (1999).
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