Restoration of the damages caused by the earthquakes of 2014 in a part of the port of the city of Argostoli
Restoration of the damages caused by the earthquakes of 2014 in a part of the port of the city of Argostoli
The object of the study is the restoration of the damages caused to the surface of the floor that starts from Lachanagora and ends at the Commercial port of Argostoli. It is the main area of the coastal promenade of the city and has a length of about 430 m and an average width of 10 m. In the northern part there are sailing and tourist boats and in the south, fishing boats. During the 1980s, the configuration that is preserved to this day took place. The basic synthetic gesture was the performance of the movement of the waves along the entire length of the route with the construction of a cast pebble floor in two color performances (black and white). The configuration was organized through an axial grid, every ten meters or so. From it emerged a total of 43 quadrilaterals in which the cast pebble was applied. Between the quadrilaterals, a 1.60 m wide belt temporarily suspends the continuation of the project. The remaining surfaces, except the surfaces of the quadrilaterals, were paved with porphyry slabs. The choice of wave design is interesting. The relevant research did not reveal any evidence of a similar example on the island of Kefalonia. We have to go to Lisbon where we will meet a lot of outdoor configurations with the alternating color (black - white) design of the waves. For their implementation, small irregular stones with a constantly repeating pattern were used. It became known worldwide as the Portuguese floor (calçada portuguesa). In more modern configurations there are free corrugated floors. The style of this flooring spread from the metropolis to the colonies with the most famous configuration being the walk on Copacabana beach in Rio. The idea of waves loans has been identified with the city of Argostoli. In many tourist guides, at least one photo of them always appears on the websites of hotels. During the recent earthquakes, the floor surface suffered several damages, in other places it sank and in others it was raised. This was most pronounced at the junctions of the three straight sections both to each other and at the connections to the two pier ends. An almost continuous longitudinal crack has been created in the longer length. In the last straight section due to the greater width there is a second longitudinal crack. In places, strong transverse cracks also appear. The main problem that has been created with the sinking and raising of the floor has to do with the abolition of the planned rainwater runoff. It was estimated that neither the spot repair nor the surface treatment alone was correct. It was proposed the complete reconstruction of both the floor and its foundation. It is planned to place, in various places, bronze decorative elements on the theme of turtles. The walker perceives their presence which becomes more intense towards the center of the area where the waves converge and the large plateau is formed. There is also a toy construction (turtles) made of concrete. The toys attract young children to touch and climb on them, they become landmarks of the area that guide the walkers.
Client : Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport/ Directorate of Port & Building Infrastructure
Location : Argostoli of Cephalonia
Design : 2015
Construction : 2019
Design team : Manolis Votsis, Philippos Gerontakis, Dimitra Bouga, Antonis Krasas
Topographic study: Apostolis Tzakos
Port study: ECOS Design SA
Electromechanical study: TEAM M-I Consulting Engineers
Geotechnical study: Konstantina Malliou