The concrete era : reinforced concrete water infrastructure in Malta

Abstract

Reinforced concrete evolved in the second half of the 19th century and presented new opportunities in water infrastructure. It could be engineered to allow for larger structures, with major works developing in the early 20th century to support technological advancement. Reinforced concrete was exploited for the construction of various large reservoirs. The Naval reservoir in Ħal Luqa constructed in c.1905, was intended to supply the Dockyard in the Grand Harbour and is one of the earliest reinforced concrete structures in the Maltese Islands. The columns in this reservoir support large concrete open-spandrel type parallel continuous concrete arches, with stone masonry buttresses located at either end of rows of arches, and with reinforced concrete shell barrel-vaulted structures supported on the arches. Another reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch system is found in the Nigret reservoir in Żurrieq, with slender compression elements, resting on the arch system and supporting a reinforced concrete roof structure. The large Fiddien reservoir was constructed in the 1950s and consists of precast reinforced concrete columns having an octagonal cross-section, with cast-in-place reinforced concrete flat roof slabs. Reinforced concrete could be engineered to particular applications exploiting complex geometries and structural forms.