Engineering news
Last month Venice was declared the most endangered heritage site in Europe.
The entry into the endangered list, which is compiled by heritage NGO alliance Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute (EIBI), comes after analysis from an international board of experts from around the world.
Venice faces massive challenges, intense pressure from tourism; increased traffic flow of large-scale container and cruise ships, the dredging of ever deeper channels, erosion of the seabed and salt marshes, pollution, industrial fishing and the rising sea level due to climate change are all jeopardizing the integrity and existence of the City and the Lagoon.
Francesco Bandarin, Unesco assistant director-general for Culture, says: “Unesco takes note with great attention of the decision of Europa Nostra to declare Venice as the most endangered site in Europe.
We are currently preparing a report on the situation of Venice, which will be presented to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee will issue its decisions and recommendations in July”.
Engineers are working to help protect the city from the higer risk of flooding with the construction of the Mose (Modulo Sperimentale Electro, Experimental Electromechanical Module) tidal sea barrier.
The challenge is to keep the Ventian Lagoon from disappearing and the system is designed to block the high tides and storm surges that enter the Venetian Lagoon year after year through three inlets and regularly flood the historic center of Venice. In 1966, 80% of the city was flooded by high tides.
Mose consists of 78 flood barriers embedded in the sea floor at the three inlets to Venice’s lagoon. The water-filled steel boxes range in size from 18.5 x 20 x 3.6 m to 29.5 x 20 x 4.5 m. Under normal tidal conditions, the gates are completely invisible, full of water and rest on the seabed.
When a high tide is forecast, they are emptied of water and raised with compressed air until they emerge, creating a barrier in just 30 minutes, which temporarily isolates the sea from the lagoon and is able to withstand incoming high water levels up to three meters above normal.
Last month it was also announced that engineering firm ABB is to supply the complete integrated electrical and automation system for Mose system. ABB received the automation order in 2015 and the electrical order in early 2016. Together the orders total more than $38 million.
The innovative solution uses the firm’s “Internet of Things, Services and People” concept to manage data signals from more than 50,000 devices and coordinate operation of the entire flood protection system. This includes the flood barriers, navigation locks, and breakwaters to shield the lagoon from rising sea levels, winter storms and spring tides.
ABB’s is also providing the automation software to will control the raising and lowering of the barriers according to pre-set parameters whenever high water approaches or leaves the lagoon. In addition the company is providing an integrated electrical automation solution enabling remote operators to control the power network thus ensuring a stable and reliable supply for the entire project.
Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB’s Process Automation division, said: “The seamless integration of power and automation is a key element of our Next Level strategy to ensure safe, reliable and efficient operations for our customers. These latest orders are another case where the connection of things, services, and people not only creates customer value but can also contribute to a better world.”
Construction of Mose began in 2003, but the economic crisis in Italy has caused delays. The project has cost more than £5 billion so far. A revised completion deadline had planned for it to be finished later this year, but the commissioning date is currently sometime between 2018 and 2020.
The project has also been mired by political controversy over bribes. Despite this, the ABB order shows the project is in its final stretch.