Robert Maillart

Robert Maillart ( born February 6, 1872 in Bern, † April 5, 1940 in Geneva) was a Swiss civil engineer, bridge builder and entrepreneur. With the new material reinforced concrete, he created in the early 20th century, many pioneering arch bridges and long-span beam-less mushroom floors.

Life

Maillart went in his native Bern to 1889 to high school. He then began the study of civil engineering at the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, today the ETH Zurich, where he graduated in 1894 with a diploma.

His first career start was the engineering office Pümpin & Herzog in Bern, afterwards he was employed from 1897 to 1899 at the Civil Engineering Department of the City of Zurich. From 1899 to 1902 he worked for the engineering firm Froté & Westermann in Zurich, which was dedicated to the design of reinforced concrete structures, and designs include the Innbrücke in Zuoz.

In 1902, Robert Maillart with partners, the construction company Maillart & Cie and built, among others, in 1904 Tavanasa Bridge over the Rhine, his first consistently constructed three-joint box beam, although it took a lot of attention in the scientific world in 1927, but by a mudslide destroyed was. In structural engineering, he developed the beam-less Mushroom blanket that was patented in 1908. Thus he has received a number of orders for warehouses and industrial buildings in Switzerland and Europe. In 1914, he was surprised by the outbreak of the First World War, when he was staying with his family professionally in Riga. It was not until 1918 he was able to return to Switzerland, where, however, no longer existed since his construction company.

Penniless, founded in 1919 in Geneva Maillart an engineering office, which as T ingénierie still exists after various name changes. In 1923 he designed his first bridge on the principle of reinforced rod arc, the Flienglibachbrücke. After initial difficulties, he planned from 1925 onwards a number of bridges in Switzerland, which allowed the establishment of offices in Berne and Zurich.

The bridges of Maillart are characterized by an outstanding architectural design and are based on a consistent consideration and optimum use of reinforced concrete structural elements. They were also designed so that they require only a very slight arch falsework. Among his technically and aesthetically impressive bridge was built in 1930 Salginatobelbrücke at Schiers in Graubünden, a three-hinged arch bridge with a span of 90 meters, Maillart's most famous building. The bridge was later appointed by the American Association for the Engineering World Monument. The oldest preserved and unchanged tied arch bridge of Maillart is the Valtschielbrücke at Donat GR.

In 1937 he became an honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. At the age of 68 years Maillart died in 1940 in Geneva to the long-term consequences of a traffic accident, he had suffered in 1936.

Archives

In Archives and Private Collections of the ETH-Bibliothek is the estate Robert Maillart with numerous plans, sketches, drawings, photographs and other documents. An overview of this stock offers online viewable estate directory in the ETH E-Collection.

Gallery

Salginatobelbrücke at Schiers

Arvebrücke at Vessy

Ross grave bridge Hinterfultigen

Thur Bridge near Felsegg, Henau

Factory building in Giessen, Wädenswil, 1905

Structures

Among other things, [A 1]:

  • Veyronbrücke BAM in Pampigny, 1896 [A 2] 46.5946170841676.4057856797222
  • Stauffacher Bridge, Zurich, 1899
  • Innbrücke, Zuoz, 1901 ( Refurbished 1969) 46.5969149.962813
  • Hadlaubbrücke the cable car Rigiblick, Zurich, 1901 ( demolished and replaced 1979) 47.3868952788898.5514509677778
  • Steinachbrücke, St. Gallen, 1903 47.4216706059.3781024216667
  • Thurbücke, Billwil top Buren, 1904 ( Refurbished 2009) 47.4595499.16366
  • Anterior Rhine bridge Tavanasa, 1905 ( destroyed by debris flow and replaced 1927) 46.7537846233339.0592145919444
  • Water Tower, St. Gallen, 1906 ( Refurbished 2011) 47.4217214188899.3654209375
  • Bridge over the railway, Aach, 1907 47.5513251308339.3465435505556
  • Bandstand Bürkliplatz, Zurich, 1908 47.3670647419448.5408401488889
  • Thurbrücke, Wattwil, 1909 47.3020938041679.0861868858333
  • Cable bridge over the underwater channel, Wyhlen, 1910 47.5391367611117.7073597908333
  • Warehouse Giesshübel, Zurich, 1910 ( Refurbished 2008 [ A 3 ] ) 47.3590599416678.5193395613889
  • Old Rhine Bridge, running Castle, 1911 ( Refurbished 1982)
  • Aarebrücke, Aarburg, 1912 ( repair and remodeling in 1968 [A 4] ) 47.3203014338897.8980755805556
  • Weir Bridge, Augst - Wyhlen, 1912 47.5374129244447.7075958252778
  • Old Rhine Bridge, Rheinfelden, 1912 ( Refurbished 2012)
  • Filter building in Rorschach, 1912 (demolished 2010 [ A 5 ] ) 47.4843519059.4753003119444
  • Warehouse, Petrograd, 1912
  • Federal Grain storage, Altdorf, 1912 46.8709007605568.6323356627778
  • Muotabrücke, Ibach, 1913 (demolished and replaced in 2001 ) 47.0111181572228.6442661286111
  • Arvebrücke, Marignier, 1920 ( reconstruction profound 1986) 46.0704468711116.4969539641667
  • Flienglibachbrücke, Inner Thal, 1923 ( demolished and replaced 1969) 47.1046309916678.9192247391667
  • Aqueduct over the Trepsenbach, Rempen 1923 47.14330302758.8982069491667
  • Schrähbachbrücke on a bay of Wägitalersees, 1924 ( repair and remodeling 1933) 47.104288.901243
  • Ziggenbachbrücke, at Inner Thal, 1924 47.0775456658338.9290738105556
  • Aqueduct in Châtelard 1924 46.0590349886116.9603431225
  • Water Tower Chancy - Puni, Chancy, 1924 46.16050889755.9798938036111
  • Valtschielbrücke, Donatella, 1925
  • Warehouse Magazzinisituated generalized, Chiasso, 1925 45.83832273759.0135097502778
  • Sihlpost, Zurich, 1926
  • Lorraine Bridge, Bern, 1929 ( Refurbished 1996)
  • Country Quart bridge the RhB, Klosters, 1930 ( conversion in 1944, demolished and replaced 1993) 46.8677247372229.8807108402778
  • Salginatobelbrücke, Schiers, 1930 ( Refurbished 1998)
  • Spittelbrücke, Adelboden, 1931 ( Refurbished 1994) 46.5028824338897.5804162025
  • Ladholzbrücke between Frutigen and Adelboden, 1931 46.5356649791677.5980168580556
  • Hombachbrücke in Schangnau, 1931 ( demolished and replaced in 1988 [A 6] ) 46.8178739761117.8282308577778
  • Luterstaldengrabenbrücke in Schangnau, 1931 ( demolished and replaced 1990 [ A 6 ] ) 46.8190046257.8357195855556
  • Drift Water Bridge in Nessental 1932 46.7195047652788.3132171630556
  • Ross grave bridge at Schwarzburg, 1932 ( Refurbished 2006) 46.8277773591677.3981761933333
  • Traubach bridge in Habkern, 1932 ( Refurbished 2004) 46.7303528513897.8662645816667
  • Bolbachbrücke in Habkern, 1932 ( Refurbished 2004) 46.73236594257.8697997330556
  • Sports facility Sihlhölzli, Zurich, 1932 47.3687360402788.5263776780556
  • Bandstand Sihlhölzli, Zurich, 1932 47.3687342236118.5250231625
  • Schwandbach bridge at Hinterfultigen (BE ), 1933 ( Refurbished 2006) 46.8293482247227.4024355411111
  • Thur Bridge near Felsegg, 1933 ( Refurbished in 1989 and 2005) 47.4635389727789.1142535208333
  • Canal Bridge Felsegg, 1933 ( demolished and replaced 2011) 47.46254525759.1160613297222
  • Aarebrücke, Innertkirchen, 1934 (demolished and replaced in 2010 ) 46.7053511694448.2279014586111
  • Tösssteg, Wülflingen, 1934 ( Refurbished 2004) 47.5023843197228.6911028622222
  • Birsbrücke, at Read Mountain, 1935 47.4001901661117.4408930538889
  • Bridge in Lucerne Street, Huttwil, 1935 ( Refurbished 2010) 47.1145434938897.8632283211111
  • Twannbach bridge Twann, 1936 47.0934128513897.1517777441667
  • Pont de Vessy, Veyrier, 1936
  • Garage des Nations, Geneva, 1936 ( repair and remodeling, 1995 [ A 7 ] ) 46.2210586161116.1405420302778
  • Lütschinenbrücke, Gündlischwand, 1937 ( reconstruction profound 1990) 46.6317427311117.9119586944444
  • Bridge in the Weissensteinstrasse, Bern, 1938 46.9421797552787.4110025166667
  • Wyler bridge, Wyler, 1938 ( Refurbished 2009) 46.70872438758.2427501677778
  • Simmebrücke, Garstatt, 1940 ( Refurbished 2010) 46.5929545866677.3753827811111
  • Simmebrücke, Laubegg, 1940 ( replacement for 2011-12 planned [ A 8 ] ) 46.5877271555567.3814660311111
  • Bridge in the Seestattstrasse, Altendorf, 1940 ( Refurbished 2008) 47.1937223783338.8309800625
  • Bridge in the Churerstrasse [A 9], Altendorf, 1940 ( repair and remodeling in 1955 [A 10], repair 1995) 47.1900551416678.8395631313889
  • Airebrücke [A 11], Lancy, 1954 46.1848296388896.1190199852778

Notes to the buildings

Film

  • Heinz Emigholz: Maillart's Bridges. Pym Films and WDR, Berlin 1996/2007 (DVD), ISBN 978-3-937045-78-8
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