Jorge Bernabéu-Larena

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid | UPM · E.T.S. de Ingeniería Civil

La Fundación Miguel Aguiló, dedicada a la investigación del patrimonio y el paisaje construido, ha diseñado dos herramientas online gratuitas para dar a conocer diferentes obras públicas de la ciudad de Madrid. En 2022 se lanzó, en colaboración con INES Ingenieros Consultores, “Puentes de Madrid. Técnica y Cultura”. En ella se incluyen fichas de 53...

Los puentes no son sólo estructuras funcionales; casi siempre asumen valores sociales y culturales. Este hecho se percibe con mayor intensidad en los puentes urbanos. Se estudia aquí la vinculación de estos puentes del municipio de Madrid con la ciudadanía y la vida social, y su presencia en diferentes expresiones culturales desde el siglo XVI hast...

Desde su constitución en diciembre de 2019, la Oficina de Aprendizaje-Servicio (ApS) de la UPM se ha dedicado a promover y difundir la metodología ApS en el ámbito de las enseñanzas de nuestra universidad. Nuestra misión es trabajar en colaboración con entidades externas a la UPM para abordar las demandas y necesidades sociales, utilizando los cono...

Madrid’s bridges trace a path through the evolution of construction technologies over the past five centuries. Since Madrid became capital of Spain in the 16th century, bridges have taken centre stage in the growth of the city. Firstly, they crossed its rivers; later, they crossed other obstacles and connecting routes. Over time, they display a suc...

El río Bogotá conforma el territorio de la Sabana de la capital colombiana. Sus puentes definen la historia de cómo las personas se han relacionado con el río y el territorio; muestran la evolución tecnológica así como los cambios sociales. Las técnicas constructivas del momento histórico construyen conexiones que superan las limitaciones geográfic...

La extensa red de canales navegables que se desarrolló en Europa durante los siglos XVIII y principios del XIX se convirtió paulatinamente, con la llegada del ferrocarril y posterior proliferación del automóvil, en un sistema obsoleto para el fin para el que se creó. Desde 1990 vemos sin embargo, cómo los canales de transporte, uno de los iconos de...

The historic water supply to large cities constitutes a constructed heritage characterised by comprising a range of public structures—dams, canals, tanks, siphons and aqueducts—over a large geographical area. Within this international context, this paper looks at the case of Canal de Isabel II (CYII) and its historic infrastructure, built in the se...

This paper describes an innovative, accessible, and sustainable method for enhancing cultural heritage. Documenting and disseminating the public works heritage have now come of age, digitally speaking, with the adoption of new technologies both to further research on and heighten the esteem attributed to the public works heritage. Nonetheless, acad...

The article proposes three essential elements in the bridge design process: site, type and drawing. The site defines the problem. The type relates to structural history. The study of alternatives constantly turns to the open catalogue of types for support. Drawing is the conceptual synthesis that builds on the two previous elements. Bridge design e...

A lo largo de los siglos XVIII y XIX se construyó en Europa una extensa red de canales. Su desarrollo permitió la conexión del territorio, en donde los puntos de intercambio y confluencia de rutas comerciales formaron focos de actividad. Estos lugares, situados en su momento en la periferia, pronto empezaron a conformar ámbitos de crecimiento urban...

Public works’ relationship with the landscape should be among the factors addressed in heritage studies. Their association with place defines their purpose while contributing to the construction of the cultural landscape. Unawareness of the existence of public works is their most powerful enemy. Inventorying and cataloguing are therefore imperative...

The relationship between structure and architectural form is particularly difficult and significant in buildings with complex geometry. A notable example of this is the Philarmonie de Paris, which opened in January 2015 and is one of the major recent buildings to be constructed in France. Designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, it is notable...

The design and performance of four footbridges in Slovenia and Spain were analysed recently to address the dynamic response and control of vibrations in medium span (25–50 m) steel footbridges. A comparative analysis of the four footbridges being studied was done, three of them already in service, in order to define the main dynamic characteristics...

Water supply systems in big cities are fundamental parts of their metabolism. They respond to a scenario of increasing demands, and they actually act as a catalyst for their growth. This last reason is essential to explain the development of some big cities. A model example of this is the city of Madrid and its water supply, built up and managed by...

Public works respond to a function and are linked to the territory where they are located. Its use and connection to the place become hallmarks and generating elements of urban processes. The roads are located close to the rivers where layouts are easier. Its relationship with the city is usually conflictive. River and city are also necessarily lin...

The building process of engineering works has been considered from the point of view of art for its technical character and often referred to the dialectic between utility and beauty, both by engineers and art historians. In a world where everything is technical, concepts such as shape, type, process and certain guidelines or specific goals related...

Constantine, known as the “city of bridges”, has an exceptional built heritage. Among its bridges, is analyzed as particularly significant the historical reconstructions of “El Kantara”: from the first Roman stone bridge, dated 161, up to the current concrete arch built in 1951, through the Ottoman rebuilding of 1792 and the cast iron French bridge...

Engineering creativity is supported, in the field of structural design, by two key aspects: the indeterminate nature of the structural problem, and the formal and compositive potential of the structure itself. This thought results in a radical change in the conceptual and project design understanding of the structure: structural elements are not on...

In the context of a postgraduate degree on building structures in an Architectural School, a classroom experience on structural design engineering is presented. The presented experience is based on the proposal of ill-defined exercises that simulate real-world design process and involves both creativity and project decision making tasks. Teamwork,...

Die Farbe bestimmt die Wahrnehmung des Charakters des Tragwerks, insbesondere bei Metalltragwerken. Eine wenige Mikrometer feine Farbschicht trägt die Verantwortung für die optische Identität des Tragwerks. Auf der Grundlage der Farbenlehre und unter Bezugnahme auf repräsentative Bauwerke wird hier ein Ausflug in die Psychologie und die Bedeutung d...

Colour of steel structures. Colour is decisive in the perception and character of structural engineering works, especially with steel structures. A micrometric coat of paint is responsible for the visual identity of the structure. Based on colour theory and relevant examples of structural engineering works, we propose a look at the psychology and m...

The structure of Joaquín Sorolla railway station in Valencia is based on a modular construction concept. Like a Meccano or a “construction set”, it is composed of identical elements prepared to be boltconnected together. In structural terms, the “mushroom” or “umbrella” type is considered. Simply formed by a central column with a cantilever roof, i...

Riyadh is under a complete transformation of the transportation network, to meet the needs of one of the fastest growing populations (8% annually over the past 40 years). The purpose of the project is to convert an arterial road into a freeway, requiring three-level interchanges at all main intersections, and to enhance the visual aspects of the ur...

Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg war die Fachwerkbrücke in Westeuropa über drei Jahrzehnte lang quasi von der Bildfläche verschwunden. Erst Mitte der 1980er Jahre wird sie dank zweier Ansätze, die auf verschiedenen technischen Entwicklungen beruhen, wiederentdeckt. In Deutschland findet die Fachwerkbrücke im Verbundbrückenbau im Bereich des Hochgeschwind...

The recent establishment of a digital culture and society, together with current financial crisis and urgent energetic and climatic needs, have radically changed the architectural scene, from the optimism of just some years ago to a situation of uncertainty and huge social demands and challenges. In this context, it is suggested to rethink the role...

Die grafische Darstellung des Verbundquerschnittes mit einer oberen Betonplatte und einem darunter liegenden Stahlträger war seit seiner Vorstellung in den 1950er Jahren ein Symbol, das weit über die Theorie hinausging und weite Verbreitung in der Praxis des Verbundbrückenbaus fand. Seit den 1970er bzw. 1980er Jahren hat dieses Bild – bedingt durch...

Stations for high-speed rail travel are an important example of current trends in architecture and its relationship with structural engineering. This paper presents two Spanish examples where concept and detailed design can be highlighted as key elements of the structure. Tarragona-Reus Station is a through station situated in a rural area. Its str...

La publicación en 1995 de las Recomendaciones para el Proyecto de Puentes metálicos (RPM) y de Puentes mixtos (RPX), por parte de la Dirección General de Carreteras del Ministerio de Fomento, supuso un hito en el panorama normativo español de las estructuras. Aunque no había dudas sobre el desarrollo de la técnica en el campo de los puentes metálic...

La presente tesis traza una revisión crítica del puente mixto acero-hormigón en su desarrollo tipológico y estético dentro del ámbito europeo, el cual ha configurado la mayor parte de sus pautas teóricas y constructivas. Se limita el trabajo a los puentes viga en los que predomina el trabajo de flexión del tablero. El estudio aborda tres análisis c...