无码专区

Joseph Robert Yost, PhD, PE, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at 无码专区, is part of an international team who designed and built a 10-meter glass bridge in New York now through Sept. 1. 

Built from 124 individual hollow glass units, the bridge is the work of Dr. Yost and fellow principal investigators Masoud Akbarzadeh, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania; Damon Bolhassani, PhD, from the City College of New York; and Jens Schneider, PhD, from the Technische Universit盲t Wien (Vienna). Each member of this collaboration has contributed a unique set of skills and expertise to the project, which is aptly named Glass Bridge. 

Dr. Yost became interested in glass research in 2018 while on sabbatical at the Technische Universit盲t Darmstadt in Germany. During his time there, he was exposed to glass as a potential primary structural material. This cultivated an interest that would drive him and the other collaborators to delve deeper into the possibilities of incorporating glass into large-scale construction projects. 

鈥淚 did some background investigation into the structural use of glass and realized there was significant activity in Europe and comparatively less in the United States,鈥� said Dr. Yost. 鈥淚 thought this together with the assembled group of collaborators represented an opportunity to contribute some interesting work in a unique area of structural engineering.鈥�  

His sabbatical experience broadened his understanding of the material鈥檚 capabilities and strengthened his connection with the network of international experts who shared the same enthusiasm for innovation鈥攊ncluding Dr. Akbarzadeh, Dr. Bolhassani and Dr. Schneider. Together, they embarked on a journey to expand the role of glass in architecture, culminating in a project that showcases the material鈥檚 versatility and artistic use of structural form, and underscores the importance of sustainable practices in modern engineering.  

Glass Bridge marks the team鈥檚 second project built using modular assembly of hollow glass units. Their first, , represented a proof-of-concept prototype for the proposed use of glass in compression dominant structures constructed using modular technology. Tortuca earned several prestigious honors for its innovative design, including the 2022 DigitalFUTURES Project Award, a Dezeen Award and an R+D Award from Architect magazine. 

In addition to the Glass Bridge exhibit, the Corning Museum will host a public event, 鈥�,鈥� from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 28. The program will offer an in-depth view of the detailed components of the bridge, which took two weeks to assemble. Attendees will hear from Drs. Yost, Akbarzahdeh, Schneider and Bolhassani as they collectively discuss the various material, mathematical, engineering and artistic principles that contributed to the bridge鈥檚 creation.  

鈥淚 think we鈥檝e done something unique in our use of material, structural form and construction methodology,鈥� Dr. Yost said. 鈥淏eyond Glass Bridge, we believe this innovative building technology has potential in a variety of applications where large, open, transparent space is desired, such as in building facades and canopies. Our collaboration will continue beyond Glass Bridge to further improve and expand the use of this novel combination of architectural, engineering and artistic technologies.鈥�