Genoa Bridge
On 3rd August 2020, the new San Giorgio Bridge in Genoa, Italy has been opened. It replaces the Morandi Bridge which collapsed in August 2018. The new bridge that world-famous architect Renzo Piano has designed for his hometown of Genoa has a total length of 1,067 metres.
Heidelberg Materials' subsidiaries Italcementi and Calcestruzzi have supplied high-performance building materials for the new bridge. The special concrete mix design, which was developed at the i.lab, Heidelberg Materials' research and innovation centre in Bergamo, follows the principles of innovation, sustainability, and quality.
The raw materials of the concrete – cement and aggregates – came from local providers selected for meeting the strict design requirements in terms of mechanical resistance and durability, which are essential for such an important structure.
In addition, the companies have reduced the carbon footprint, for instance, by using CEM III blast furnace cement, produced at Italcementi’s Calusco d’Adda cement plant and ground at the Novi Ligure cement plant, which is remarkable for its high recycled material content (around 40%), its low level of CO2 emissions (about 500 kg/t of cement), and its ability to produce concrete of high durability.
In total, 67,000 cubic metres of concrete have been required for the construction of the new bridge.
The Calcestruzzi ready-mixed concrete plant Genova Chiaravagna, which supplied part of the concrete, has received the “Silver” CSC-certification for responsibly sourced concrete – the highest category for suppliers. Italcementi cement plant Calusco d’Adda has recently obtained the same CSC certificate.
This certificate is issued by the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC), an international certification authority for sustainability in the construction materials industry. With the certification system, CSC aims to further improve transparency of the concrete production process throughout the entire value chain as well as its social and environmental impact.
