THE
CONSTRUCTION
MAJOR PROJECTS
· Controversy surrounds
the building of China’s dam
Work on China’s 16 billion Three Gorges Dan, the world’s biggest hydro electric power project, began in November 1997 and will take 15 years to complete. The dam wall, blocking the course of the Yangtze, the world’s third longest river, will be 175 m high and 2.3 km wide and it will have a generating capacity of twelve nuclear power stations. However, the creation of the 632-km long reservoir will submerge about 1,500 towns and villages, forcing over a million people to move and flooding hundreds of ancient archaeological sites. In addition, the land around the Yangtze river produces 40% of China’s food crops, and such a major project may seriously affect agricultural output.
· Unusual design for
French viaduct
French architect Jacques Hondelatte has been chosen to design a road crossing over the Tarn Valley, linking the Causse Rouge with the Larzac plateau in France. His design for the project is a simple, regular construction with uniform spans and beam lengths. What makes it different is that instead of placing the traffic lanes side-by-side, he has will encase them in a thick hollow beam made of either concrete or steel. Because of the substantial winds that will buffet the 2.6 km viaduct, it is supported by circular piers on simple foundations resembling giant bottles.
URBAN
INNOVATIONS
· Upmarket pedestrian
bridges in Moscow
The Moscow City Bridge is the Russian capital’s first traffic free bridge, joining the area west of the Kremlin, known locally as Moscow Manhattan, with the residential south side of the capital. Designed by the Russian architect Boris Tkhor, the blue glass living bridge transports citizens along travelators to upmarket shops and cafes. A similar landmark, which will have entertainment and conference facilities, is being built a mile farther down the river, a significant symbol of the city’s regeneration.
· New London Bridge
includes commercial property
Two designs have been chosen as joint winners in a competition for a new traffic free, inhabitable bridge over the Thames in the heart of London. Without any government funding, the new bridge will be wider and taller than other crossings, since 13,656 m of commercial development is needed to make the project self-financing. British architect Zaha Hadid has designed a cantilevered glass and steel construction, while Frenchman Antoine Grumbac has proposed a suspension bridge with a 152 m commercial tower disguised as a hanging garden.
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