Here is what bridge expert Marco Rosignoli had to say about emerging megacities, the greatest challenge of providing efficient transportation and what kind of bridges will need to be built to accommodate the changing urban environment.  

The Cities of the Future

Today, megacities are the gateways of globalization. They drive flows of people, goods, knowledge and money around the world, and they also make a large contribution to economic growth at a national level. Tokyo accounts for 28 percent of the Japanese population and generates 40 percent of the country’s GDP. Paris accounts for 16 percent of the French population and generates 30 percent of its GDP. Many metropolitan regions have higher GDP pro-capita than the national average, higher labor productivity, and faster growth rates.

Given their weight in the national economy, the ability of megacities to compete at a global level is paramount. To attract investment, these cities need modern, efficient infrastructures. As the competition shifts from competition among countries to competition among cities, many countries are developing policies to develop their cities into globally competitive megacities.

“Mega” Challenges for “Mega” Cities

Recent studies show that transportation is the biggest infrastructure challenge of megacities and has a big impact on city competitiveness. Transport problems affect megacities at all levels of development and range from obsolete systems and aging infrastructure of mature cities such as London and New York to an insufficient system capacity of transitional cities and even non-existing basic infrastructure of emerging cities such as Karachi.

The mass transport systems of megacities must be capable of transporting millions of people while putting as little strain as possible on the environment. A good quality of life requires a well-functioning infrastructure, and an effective infrastructure contributes to economic prosperity.

Traffic congestion during rush hour at Shanghai, China

Congestion costs are huge for megacities’ economy, employment and the environment. Air pollution and traffic problems are the top two environmental problems of megacities, and road transport alone is responsible for over 40 percent of discharge of suspended particles into the atmosphere. Although water, electricity, health care, safety and security also need investment, recent studies suggest that these sectors are less likely to see a strong link between spending and improved competitiveness of megacities, despite their important impact on the attractiveness of the city for investment. Instead, stakeholders will prioritize spending on improving transportation infrastructure to boost city competitiveness.

Investing in Transportation for Megacities

Stakeholders are split on whether to invest in new transport capacity or reorganize, revitalize and increase the efficiency of existing infrastructure. When new investment is made available, it will likely be used to deliver incremental improvements to existing transportation systems rather than on new infrastructure projects.

The Goethals Bridge in New York under reconstruction (Source: New York Post)

Thus, megacities can expect to see public investment go toward the maintenance of existing bridges, restoring and partially rebuilding instead of constructing from scratch. Maintenance efforts will include the demolition of existing bridges, combined with the conversion of old-generation steels into new families of high-grade steels. This will reduce the environmental impact and achieve a net earning in structural capacity that will pay off part of the energy cost of the reconversion process.

Overall, public investment in traditional roads and roadway bridges will diminish, and will increase for eco-friendly sectors such as mass transit systems, electrified ground transportation for food and public services, light-rail transit bridges serving local districts from mass transit hubs, and high-speed railway networks connecting megacities to airports, ports and other megacities. The environmental impact of private transportation will also lead to new, greener mass transit solutions, which will become a top priority for investment.

Bridges of the Future

Many urban bridges in the U.S. were designed to be as light as possible in light of the scarcity of steel following the 2nd World War. This led to the use of long-span trusses incorporating built-up sections with trusses and lightening holes. Such bridges require constant maintenance and hand painting of large surfaces, which makes their maintenance financially prohibitive. Bridges that are still in acceptable service conditions may suggest replacement just to avoid maintenance costs.

New-generation urban bridges designed for long service life and minimized lifecycle costs will use plate girders and multiple protective layers of replaceable materials. Modern high-grade steels allow for the use of a smaller number of structural members, which diminishes the number of field splices, diaphragms, lateral braces, and steel surfaces to protect.

The Stonecutters Bridge and container port in Hong Kong

Compared with reinforced concrete, steel offers a higher strength-to-weight ratio that increases the design efficiency of modular bridges. These days, steel bridges are becoming increasingly stronger and lighter. As a core material, steel facilitates the delivery of prefabricated units, simplifies the design of bridge piers and foundations, and is easier and faster to recycle or use in smaller quantities.

In the future, these lighter and smaller bridge units will require more field splices, and new types of bolted, welded or hybrid connections will be introduced to increase the structural efficiency of connections, impose less structural constraints on their distribution, and avoid the weakening of the cross-section with drilled holes.

Moreover, the availability of deck assembly areas and interference of construction operations with adjacent infrastructure will govern bridge design. Incremental launching construction from aerial platforms will see new applications, especially when combined with on-site welding of the field splices among modular bridge units. The welding of field splices will allow for optimized segmentation of bridge units, will diminish the cost of field splices, and will relax the fabrication tolerances of the units.

Incremental launching construction in London, UK (Source: Knight Architects)

Overall, emerging megacities will translate into an increased demand for bridges, whether it is from building a new bridge or a reconstructing an existing bridge. The challenge will shift from structural considerations to rapid, cost-effective construction processes within a complex urban environment.

Future bridges that will accommodate stricter environmental and sustainability regulations will feature shorter, lighter spans that can be prefabricated in smart factories and transported and erected rapidly in a congested urban environment.

Steel bridges offer many advantages over prestressed-concrete bridges under these new demands. A transition to greener megacities will provide a wealth of business opportunities, eco-friendly technologies and construction materials, and diversification for the coming future.

Continue on to Part Two of Marco Rosignoli’s post on technical and materials solutions for the construction of large-scale bridges in megacities.

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(Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line)

Following the first edition of the series, we would like to discuss about urban renewal cases of neglected railroads. One of the best known cases, the High Line of New York has a meaning more than just a simple ‘park’, since it is an urban garden built upon the abandoned railway lines of 1930s. The High Line has become one of the top visitor attractions in New York and an emblem of the historical decline from the industrial heyday. Let’s explore further about the High Line and other example of rebirths of former railroads.

‘The High Line Park’ Started With a Simple Interest of an Ordinary Citizen

(Image: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line)

In 1847, life-threatening accidents were frequent in New York City because freight trains, carriages, bicycles and pedestrians kept colliding down on Manhattan’s Far West Side. In order to solve this problem, the City of New York and Metropolitan Transportation Authority planned to construct an elevated railway in 1929. Finally, it was launched in 1934 and enabled cargo to be delivered directly from the railroad to factories and warehouses.

However, the railroad transportation drastically declined as highway construction and cargo truck started to advance in the 1950s. The overhead railway vanished into the history after the last train squealed its way in 1980. It has been discarded for 20 years until Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, agreed to dismantle the overhead railway in 1999.

On the threshold of the demolition, two civic activists formed a non-profit organization called, ‘Friends of the High Line’. They saw the potential that this useless, old heritage can be redeveloped into a unique overpass. The ‘Friends of the High Line’ consisted not only the regional residents but also various other people such as entrepreneurs and fashion designers. Furthermore, the organization proceeded their project by benchmarking Promenade Plantée of France.

Keep it simple, keep it wild, keep it quiet, and keep it slow!
This redesigning project was a collaboration of James Corner of Field Operations, a landscaping firm, Diller Scofidio+Renfro, an architecture studio, and a plant designer named Piet Oudolf. The main design concept of the High Line was to ‘keep it simple, keep it wild, keep it quiet, and keep it slow’. This design principle intended to maintain the traces of the overpass area including the wildflowers and vines grown out during the abandoned periods. The High Line embodies an extraordinary meaning since it is a creation of innovative designers, active citizens, generous men of means, and supportive corporates.

As shown by the cases above, it is quite difficult to preserve a trace of a certain city. It requires the government’s support while having complicated relations with the profit of property owners. Above all, it requires proactive and voluntary efforts of its citizens. As a city harmonizes over time, it asks for continuous efforts and patience of many people living within the city.

Promenade Plantée, the Archetype of a Renovated Urban Garden

(Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promenade_plant%C3%A9e)

The original model of reusing old transportation corridors is the Promenade Plantée in Paris, France. For cargo transportation, Paris had opened up a bridge-type railroad that penetrates the center of Eastern Paris in 1859. However, this railroad was deactivated in 1969 and deteriorated into a crime-prone area.

In the early 1980s, Paris decided to transform this railway, the city’s headache, into the ‘Promenade Plantée’, meaning ‘a walking trail’, by planting green lives around the area. Unlike the citizen-driven project of the High Line, the Promenade Plantée project was organized by the city authorities of Paris. And, the design of the site was developed by a landscaper, Jacques Vergely and an architect, Philippe Mathieux while architects named Patrick Berger and Jamine Galiano designed the pedestrian overpass shopping district.

The abandoned railroad built 10m from the ground level transformed into a floating esplanade, penetrating the city. Especially, the rusty area that was about to be demolished was reborn into the pedestrian overpass shopping district. And, the 70 redbrick-arches under the railroad redeveloped into ‘Viaduc des Arts‘, an art district of handcraft workshops, galleries, furniture exhibition halls, and cafés. Though the pedestrian overpass shopping district was completed only in 2000, it became one of the most popular spots among Parisians along with the Promenade Plantée.

Recreating the City While Maintaining its Previous Identity
A city tends to flow along with the lives of the citizens. As it shown by the case of Paris, the marks that embody the original identity of the city must be preserved as much as possible. The marks could be stunning and valuable or not at all. Nevertheless, it is significant because these traces of the city could contribute as an important historical asset for the future generation, as the traces have evolved a long period together with the citizens. Accordingly, cities develop their unique identities and this cannot simply happen only with a concept for city development but must stem from a sincere echo within our lives.

A city is a place where happy moments are accumulated, but it also encompasses the memories that people would like to forget. Thus, a city cannot simply disappear by eliminating the previous objects and replacing them with the new ones, because every moment has traces of our lives and becomes the history that brought us to today. In fact, when people recall the past and add value to it, the city can bring out its genuine beauty as a place where people strive to continue their lives with each other.

*This story was originally developed by Kim, Mi-na – Participated in Hanoi master plan, Ho Chi Minh Thu Thiem Binh Khanh master plan, and other international urban development projects especially in Da Nang, Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc and more. Currently, she is executing planning and marketing for global business projects at POSCO A&C. She is interested in the topics related to public-nature of cities and urban renewal.

Do you remember Renault’s concept car, ‘EOLAB’ which was showcased at the 2014 Paris Motor Show and introduced in the previous series of our global blog? Running 100km with only 1L of fuel, this amazing car ‘EOLAB’ contains POSCO’s light vehicle steel plate. POSCO and Renault collaborated in the ‘EOLAB’ development project in order to lead the way of vehicle weight reduction throughout the automobile industry. Let’s take a look at an interview with the two key contributors of the ‘EOLAB’ project, Shin, Seung-jun, the Manager of Steel Solution Center and Dr. Lee, Hong-woo, the Principal Researcher of POSCO.

How Do You Feel About Promoting ‘EOLAB’ At The Paris Motor Show As A Partner Of Renault?

Dr. Lee: This year’s Paris Motor Show was a great opportunity to show the excellence of POSCO’s technology to the world. I believe that it was exceptionally special because the collaboration represented Renault’s firm trust in POSCO. Also, through this project, POSCO and Renault signed additional agreement to co-develop light vehicle body and automobile chassis solution for the next generation. Therefore, we are looking forward to establish the full range of EVI network in the upcoming future.

△(Left) Kim, Ji-yong, the head of POSCO Steel Solution Center, (Right) Remi Bastien, the head of research, advanced studies and materials at Renault

Manager Shin: As I participate in the project, I was able to experience the power of POSCO’s solution marketing. It seems that POSCO was able to create the positive results with its exceptional behavior to bestow devotion even to small components while supplying materials and application technology. I hope that this project could set an example for POSCO EVI activity and solution marketing so that it could contribute to the expansion of POSCO’s prospective relationships with client companies.

We Heard That The Worldwide Media Had Shown Their Strong Interests At The POSCO Booth. How Was The Overall Response Of The Press?

Manager Shin: During the promotion period, 103 journalists from 26 different countries had visited our booth and showed their fervent interests. They were especially interested in POSCO’s weight reduction materials. So, we displayed several cylinders of same volume but with each different steel materials so that they could take a closer look at our weight reduction materials. The journalist at our booth displayed interest in the weight difference of each cylinders. It was definitely an important opportunity to draw spectators’ attention to POSCO’s steel materials.

Could You Describe The Development Process Of The Spotlighted ‘EOLAB’?

The relationship between POSCO and Renault goes far back. In 2012, POSCO had signed a joint development agreement with Renault-Samsung. This year, POSCO participated in the ‘EOLAB’ production project with the French automaker, Renault. To be honest, there were quite many differences working with the local staffs of Renault due to the language and geographical difference between France and Korea.

However, these problems were easily solved as Dr. Lee flew to Paris for long-term stay during the project. Although Dr. Lee and I were far apart, our teamwork was more than excellent. As Dr. Lee collect VOC of Renault and send it to Korea, our research team and I would build upon the given data and suggest a solution to Renault. As you might know, there is a seven-hour time difference between Korea and France. I used to call Dr. Lee in Paris 4PM every day to check our work process and put plans into practice.

We Heard That There Was A Special Tip To Improve Job Performance. Could You Share The Tip With Us?
Dr. Lee: The cooperation with Manager Shin could be defined with two keywords: ‘Trust’ and ‘Conservation’. Manager Shin trusted me in terms of technical aspect and I trusted him with specific process management in return. I believe that this mutual trust contributed to ‘speed-up’ aspect which was one of the expectations and demands of Renault.

In fact, one of the aspects that I am proud of, is the ‘One-day feedback’ system. As Renault passed the VOC and other related issues to Manager Shin in the morning (afternoon in Korea), the Korean staff held an urgent meeting and were able to receive POSCO’s official response in less than 24 hours. I am sure that this timely reaction had a big part in the POSCO-Renault trust-building process.

Did you enjoy the stories of the key members of POSCO automotive steel plate EVI activity? The duo of Manager Shin and Dr. Lee really showed us a great harmony despite of distance and time difference. Until POSCO’s automotive steel plate is applied to every global automobile companies, POSCO markers will continue their efforts to expand POSCO’s presence in the worldwide spectrum.

]]> https://newsroom.posco.com/en/steel-used/ Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:33:59 +0000 It is easy for one to connect steel with things like architecture or automobiles. However, steel is actually a part of our everyday lives in other ways also. In fact, it even has a role within our bodies!

Read on to find out more about what steel is used for and how steel is weaved into our daily lives.

Surprise #1) Steel brings amusement to our lives!

Have you experienced the excitement of amusement parks and the thrill of roller coasters? Without steel, you would not be able to enjoy roller coasters!

Roller coasters go back to the 17^th century, but they first appeared in 1817 in Paris, France. It then spread to the U.S. in the 19^th century and by 1920, they became so popular that most amusement parks had more than one installed.

Due to the Depression and the rise of television, roller coasters temporarily lost interest. However, with the appearance of “steel coasters”, roller coasters regained the interest of consumers. Compared to roller coasters made of wood, steel roller coasters could be made higher, faster while also being more safer. As of January 2012, 94% of roller coasters (2,791) around the world are made of steel.

Surprise #2) Steel brings profound musical tunes to our ears!

Steel also allows us to hear wonderful melodies. The sound of the piano has a beautiful sound that can transport us to a heavenly state. Contrary to what you might have expected, pianos are constructed with steel – a material which you would not associate with delicate music, correct?

The strings (piano wire) found within piano are made of strong high carbon steel to maintain tension. To be produced, high carbon steel is heated above 900 degrees Celsius and then is dipped into a container with melted lead at temperatures between 430~520 degrees Celsius which is a process called patenting. The end product has high strength, high viscosity qualities which are fit for usage in springs as well.

Surprise #3) Steel keeps us alive!

Did you know that everyone has steel inside their bodies?

3g of iron is essential for our bodies to function. Though a minor quantity, without it, we cannot survive! About 60% is found in our blood, 30% is in our liver and spleen and the remaining 10% is found within myoglobin cells, cytochrome and other particles inside muscles and bone marrow.

Iron is necessary for the body’s red blood cell formation. When there is not enough red blood cells, this affects our energy levels so that we get tired easily.  60 to 80% of patients with anemia have iron deficiency, but the symptoms do vary.

In many cases, the symptoms of anemia are shortness of breath, face becomes pale, and signs of anorexia. Moreover, hair falls out, nails become weak, and skin becomes very dry. Iron certainly plays a very important role within our bodies so we should make sure we maintain it!

Other Facts about Steel that You Didn’t Know Before

Generally people assume that the steel industry is the representative industry that produces harmful pollutions as a byproduct due to the use of coal for steel production. However, when one takes into consideration the entire life cycle of raw material extraction and processing, steel actually produces the least emissions per unit among building materials.

Steel is the only building material that can last for over 100 years. In addition to the merit of long-term usage, 90% of it can be recycled again unlike other materials. One ton of steel can go through 40 rotations of the reproduction cycle so that the cumulative amount of usage is actually over 10 tons.

Steel is recognized not just for the manufacturing process but also as eco-friendly consumer products as well. Representative examples of this are the eco-friendly, high strength steel used for automotive steel sheets, galvanized steel sheets for automotive fuel tanks, chrome-free zinc-plated steel for home appliances and so on. High tension steel plates are thinner than regular steel plates, however, they are merited for making it possible to produce lighter cars. In addition, they can enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions and hazardous substances.

That’s not all! Japan and other major nations are looking towards the development of electric power transmissions and the component necessary for this to happen is electrical steel products. There is increasing demand for steel plates used for rotational machinery within motor units as the non-oriented electrical steels have excellent magnetic properties for efficiency.

Bright future for steel. There is no limit to the use of steel!

The necessity and importance of steel for society is increasing more and more. They say that steel already has a large influence on the things around us. They help make all things from needles to ships. However the boundaries are expanding even more! From housing and skyscrapers, to the numerous bridges and spires, steel is all around us. Steel is even found in our transportation that takes us from place to place as they are what makes up cars and subways too.

What was most surprising among the uses of steel that we introduced? Stay tuned for more stories on steel that we will write about here on POSCO’s blog!

Here are POSCO’s top picks for you to visit.

1)      Eiffel Tower in Paris

 Image Source: flickr

How about a trip to the romantic city of lights to see the Eiffel Tower? At 324 meters, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest architectural structure in 1930 until the Chrysler building was completed. The full metal structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs about 8,000 tons and including non-metal materials, weighs 10,000 tons. While the Eiffel Tower today is emblematic of the ‘city of love’, this was not always the case. When it was first built, media was filled with criticism about the metal appearance that seemed to ruin the city. Famous author, Maupaussant famously said, “I eat lunch in the restaurant within the Eiffel Tower since it is the only place within the city where you don’t have to see the steel object.” Oh, how things have changed!

2)      Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Image source: flickr

If Paris has its Eiffel Tower, San Francisco in the U.S. has its Golden Gate Bridge, the longest bridge in the world until 1959.  The 2,879m long bridge was built in 1937 to connect San Francisco with Marine Country in the north and it takes 3 minutes by car and 1 hour if you walk! At the time, many doubted that a structure as long as 2,879m could be constructed while withstanding the wind, fog and fast waters. However, the impossible was possible and the Golden Gate Bridge is symbolic of San Francisco and the entire State today. The official architect for this bridge was Joseph Strauss and the base structure was created using iron, steel truss structure and steel cables. At the time of construction, the Navy requested that the bridge be built in such a way that ships could pass through below. Therefore a 66m high arch was created and to this day, there is no ship that cannot pass under.

Who would like to cross this bridge in this summer?

3)      Burj in Dubai

Image source: flickr

How about a trip to Dubai to see the world’s tallest man-made structure? A collection of all modern day innovations and tricks, the Burj in Dubai is truly a feast for the eyes. At 828m high with 162 floors, it is currently the world’s tallest skyscraper. In addition to its record height, the building itself was constructed beautifully. What is the secret behind this innovative, stunning architecture? The advanced architectural design was made possible due to the TMCP (thermo-mechanical control process) steel that has greater strength and durability, as well as, improved weldability. It is also efficient in that TMCP steels reduce construction time compared to concrete structures and also requires less manpower which helps reduce costs.

Who knew that all these world famous sights were made of steel? These places are definitely worth a trip during this summer or during your lifetime. Share your favorite architectural wonder with us!