Penn Monument for Hope: Bridge A Symbol of Connection and Collaboration
Credits
Principal Investigators: Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Joseph Robert Yost (Villanova University), Dr. Damon Bolhassani (City University of New York), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider (TU Wein, Glass Competence Center, TU Darmstadt)
Advising Collaborator: Richard Farley (University of Pennsylvania)
Project Lead Designer: Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh
Structural Design: Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Dr. Yao Lu, Yiliang Shao, Tian Ouyang
Computational Design Lead: Dr. Yao Lu
Steel Support Detailing and formwork design: Boyu Xiao, Michael Ting, Pouria Vakhshouri
Structural Engineering: Dr. Damon Bolhassani, Dr. Paria Yavartanoo
Structural Load Testing and Material Verification: Dr. Joseph Robert Yost, Jorge Huisa Chacon, and Mathew Cregan
Glass Engineering: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider, Philipp Amir Chhadeh
Early-Stage Research Team: Dr. Andrei Nejur, Tian Ouyang, Dr. Mostafa Akbari, Zhenhao Zhou, Cory Byrnes, Dr. Ulrich Knaack, Chris Borg Costanzi
Project Date
2018-2024
Construction Credits
Acrylic Milling Services: Werk5 GmbH
Acrylic Materials: Polyvantis GmbH
Hollow Glass Unit Construction: Glasbau Pritz GmbH
Glass Milling Services: Thiele Glas Werk GmbH
Low Carbon Glass: ORAÉ® by Saint-Gobain Glass
Acrylic Extrusion: Hubei Chusui plastic extrusion mold factory
SentryGlas: Kuraray
Plywood Machining: Timbur
Steel Construction: Kuan-Ting Lai
Fabrication Consultant: Ali Seyedahmadian
Purchasing/Logistic Coordination: Jennifer Thuman
Business Administrator: Nadine Beauhanois
Installation Team: Masoud Akbarzadeh, Boyu Xiao, Michael Ting, Yao Lu, Amir Motavaselian, Yefan Zhi, Teng Teng, Joseph Yost, Philipp Amir Chhadeh, Golnaz Moharrer, Esmaeel Negarestan, Hengameh Fazeli and Alireza Fazeli
Links
Related Publications
Project Acknowledgement
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donor, Lori Kanter Tritsch, for her invaluable support and commitment, whose contributions have made the construction of this project possible, bringing our shared vision to life and creating a lasting impact for generations to come. A kind gift from Albert Kalimian provided the project’s Publication Fund.
Description
In their architectural marvel, bridges reflect the ingenuity and collective effort of communities. They stand as testaments to human perseverance, engineering prowess, and the belief in progress. But their significance transcends the tangible realm. Bridges evoke a sense of unity, bridging not just geographical gaps but also cultural divides, fostering understanding and empathy among diverse peoples.
The act of crossing a bridge embodies the metaphorical journey of bridging differences. It requires courage, openness, and a willingness to venture into the unknown. Each step taken across its expanse symbolizes a reaching out, a gesture of connection, and a commitment to building relationships. Whether in personal interactions, diplomacy, or societal reconciliation, bridges serve as powerful symbols of dialogue and reconciliation.
Vitrum Leve, or Lightweight Glass Bridge, is a high-performance transparent structure as the “Penn Monument for Hope.” Metaphorically, the transparency of this bridge symbolizes the essential values of honesty and peace within our community. The transparency of this bridge reflects the necessity of honesty and peace in the community. While every single sheet of glass is brittle, aggregating these pieces in a particular geometry establishes a strong thrust that can effectively transfer significant forces to the ground. The bridge’s resilience is derived from the arch’s geometry, symbolically bridging gaps and disagreements between differing opinions.
Research
This structure results from four years of inter-institutional research representing the cutting-edge design research approach at the Weitzman School of Design. The structure is made of thin sheets of glass (16 mm), resulting in an ultra-thin, high-performance sandwich (multilayered) system. We use geometry-based structural design methods of Polyhedral Graphic Statics to design funicular structural forms with multilayer geometry with minimized mass. These methods have been researched and developed at the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory of the Weitzman School of Design since 2017.
The project’s primary goal is to show how challenging construction materials such as glass can be meticulously designed to be used as a primary structural system. Furthermore, it shows how the internal flow of forces is contained within the 1.6cm cross-section, providing an ultra-transparent structural design for architectural purposes. Reducing the mass contributes to reducing the embodied carbon of the built environment and opens the door to cleaner construction methods for the future.
The project intends to inspire architects, engineers, and researchers to question conventional design and detailing methods and explore strategies to minimize materials’ use and maximize performance and recyclability. In addition, it promotes the use of thin-sheet-based construction in designing and fabricating lightweight, efficient building and infrastructural components. The project combines art, science, and engineering and makes this approach and the knowledge accessible to the public as a monument for hope.
The conceptual bridge shatters the limitations of glass construction. The proper positioning and alignment of the glass components effectively create the span. Analogous to society, the path to overcoming obstacles and difficulties rests in individuals working in unison to engender positivity, hope, and caring for one another.
