Metallurgica Ledrense, earthquake-proof cages
14 October 2024
A thread in the valley
21 November 2024With Fabio Tiboni, president of Metallurgica Ledrense, we learn about structural and architectural metal gabions, made for soil erosion control solutions, retaining structures, soil stabilization and street furniture.
The Metallurgica Ledrense cooperative society was founded in 1987, in the Ledro Valley, in the province of Trento, with the desire to guarantee work in the area, thanks to the spirit of the former employees of two companies closed in the 1970s and the support of the local government. Today the company is a thriving business, known internationally for the very high quality of its production of galvanized bright wire and black bright wire for agriculture and industry. It is becoming increasingly known internationally for its electrowelded mesh gabions used both as architectural elements for parks and gardens and as Ce-marked retaining walls.
The company was the first in all of Italy to have steel mesh filled with materials used to build retaining walls certified in Europe. "Today we are awaiting the issuance of the Ce mark for the commercialization of a new product," explains Fabio Tiboni, president of Metallurgica Ledrense, "These are gabions that serve as foundations for lightweight wooden structures. "The research project took almost two years and is rooted in Metallurgica Ledrense's long relationship with the University of Trento."
"Since 2015 we have started a collaboration with the University of Trento that has allowed us to deepen the theme of innovation declined to safety. In the three-year period 2015-2017, with an investment of 120 thousand euros, we developed (together with the Department of Civil Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, the University of Trento's Testing Laboratory and Professors Lucia Simeone, Alessandro Gaio, Marco Molinari and Engineer Stefano Rossi) a project declined to the study of the structural gabion Marcato CE, a real deterrent to landslides and landslides useful for securing the territory.
In 2018, with the same group, we invested 550 thousand euros for a new project, involving the. CNR/lbe laboratory and engineers Andrea Pollastri, Edgar Ferro, Riccardo Fanti, starting a study on the dry foundation system.
This project is very innovative because it is designed to support lightweight structures, with wooden buildings, using Ledro Steel Box gabion as the basic element. This is also a useful solution for civil defense emergency response, in case of natural disasters."
The Work ended in November 2021 after 42 months of research, led to Ce marking and an international patent on the system, currently unique in the world with so much European technical evaluation on the results manual kit and pilot case with focus on durability and construction efficiency. “These foundations, compared to concrete foundations, have the advantage that they can be built very quickly, since the gabions are already assembled in-house and ready for use. This idea that is so innovative actually originated millennia ago in Norway for churches that were built for the Vikings. From such an ancient idea we have applied modern technology is innovative.” At the moment, the company can produce a few types of gabion: Ledro Steel Ecobox, with a more economical version that is completed with the fill material in the final placement area, has a single wire earth mesh and the diameter of 4 mm. Ledro Steel Box, suitable for soil stabilization and ideal in retaining works and for erosion control; Gjm Steel Box, characterized by the perfect combination of practicality. eco compatibility and elegance and is a solution that is often used in fencing and in the design of drywall structure works; Ledro Steel Wallocover is a system of panels anchored to the wall for quick and economical lining of reinforced concrete walls giving the effect of drywall.
Made from electro-welded mesh gabions, these systems are ideal for reducing noise in urban, industrial and residential environments. With their modular design and ability to blend harmoniously with their surroundings, the Phononix product combines acoustic efficiency, aesthetics and sustainability, ensuring maximum versatility of use.
Ledro Steel Wallocover is a panel system anchored to the parate for quick and economical coating of concrete walls giving the effect of drywall.
Last but not least are Ledro Steel Box Phononixx gabions, a system devised with Phononic Vibes, a start-up from the Milan Polytechnic University and consisting of Ledro Steel Box cages with a highly sound-absorbing panel inside, structurally suitable for both road and rail traffic.
