An unusual engineering structure, 12 m long and 1.75 m wide, was installed near Madrid in the Castilla-La Mancha park in the municipality of Alcobendas, which is part of the metropolitan area of the Spanish capital. The pedestrian bridge is assembled from eight segments, consisting of concrete reinforced with polypropylene fibers.
The bridge was designed by an interdisciplinary team of architects, mechanical engineers, civil engineers and city officials with the participation of Enrico Dini, an expert in large-scale 3D manufacturing and the inventor of one of the most successful D-Shape contouring systems. Their project was implemented by the Spanish infrastructure conglomerate Acciona, which specializes in construction and renewable energy.
The bridge structure, designed to reflect the complexity of natural forms in biomimetic design, was developed using parametric modeling. Among other things, it allows you to optimize the distribution of building materials and minimize waste by reusing raw materials in the production process.
The IAAC stressed that the computed design maximizes structural efficiency by “preserving porosity through generative algorithms and challenging traditional construction methods,” noting that the institute has worked to adapt 3D printing technology accordingly for 15 years.
It should be noted that the Spanish achievement may soon be surpassed by specialists from the Netherlands. As Archi.ru reported earlier, the Dutch company MX3D intends to demonstrate the capabilities of 3D printing technologies in action by creating a fully functional steel bridge on site using innovative robotic 3D printers. Initially, it was planned to implement this project at the end of 2015, but then it stopped at the concept stage. However, the company tweeted recently that the seal of the bridge was added to the list of events expected in Amsterdam in 2017.
