Icon of the Expo 2008 made of [fibreC]

Zaha Hadid has chosen glass fibre reinforced concrete from the Austrian company Rieder to envelope the 275 meters long ,Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion“, the new symbol of the Expo 2008 in the northern Spanish Zaragoza: she will cover the outer skin of the building with 29.000 triangles in different grey shades out of [fibreC] - and has so brought the Austrian concrete manufacturer Rieder an order of more than Euro 1,5 Millions The new bridge across the river Ebro is entrance to the Expo area and at the same time multi-level exhibition area; 10.000 visitors per hour will frequent the Main Pavilion of the world exhibition.

From 14 June to 13 September 2008 Zaragoza, in the northern Spain, will host the next international EXPO. More than seven and a half million people are expected to visit over 3,400 performances staged during the three months of the world exhibition. Due to the theme of the EXPO 2008 “Water and Sustainable Development”, worldwide interest is guaranteed in times of climate changes, tsunami and catastrophic drought. Especially the new landmark of Zaragoza, the shining main pavilion, which is a bridge over the river Ebro at the same time – designed by the prestigious architect Zaha Hadid together with Ove Arup Engineers London – is supposed to cause surprise around the world. The Pavilion consists of an inhabited multi-level bridge that spans the Ebro River, linking the city to the EXPO site. Apart from its function as a pedestrian access to the EXPO, the 275 meters long Zaragoza Bridge is a big showroom: on or in the bridge, to be precise, people can visit three exhibitions relating to the water and sustainability theme. Four curved vaults on two floors offer an exhibition area of 7000 m²

[fibreC] – A Sustainable Material

Apart from its design and visual impact, Zaha Hadid’s idea could stand up to 40 competitors at the jury – not least due to the sustainability of the used materials like [fibreC]. “The composition of [fibreC] out of degradable, purely mineral raw materials entirely complies with the current trend of natural,environmentally-friendly and sustainable materials“, says CEO Wolfgang Rieder. Apposite to the Expo-Theme “Sustainability”, Rieder has been certified in May according to DIN EN ISO 14.001. This international approved environmental management certificate confirms the commitment to sustainability at Rieder. With this „organic approach“, Zaha Hadid’s design of the bridge as well as the use of the material [fibreC] fit with the EXPO theme „Water and Sustainable Development“.