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From 1964

Innovative Ideas

Since its beginnings SP has been appointed to perform unusual tasks calling for non-conventional and innovative solutions

Large
hydraulic works

The engineers Giorgio Pietrangeli and Paolo Alfredo Pallavicini have always personally followed the progress of their ambitious projects, as may be seen in the photograph which shows one of them during the testing of the spillway of the Legadadi Dam, where five different types of dam (including concrete buttress and rockfill) were employed to adapt the structure to the foundations.

Unusual
design tasks

Construction of the Bumbuna plant was a fundamental milestone for the development of Sierra Leone. By adopting multi-functional hydraulic tunnels, SP managed to half the construction costs without affecting the level of energy produced. SP also had the singular task of designing the Sierra Leone banknote.

Cutting
edge technology

Studio Pietrangeli has always tried to carry out topographical surveys using our own personnel and instrumentation, in order to maintain direct control over the acquired data and relevant elaboration. Also in this sector, SP has always been innovative. As early as in 1997, for the Dankel project, we applied a topographic technique today widely used: the aerial survey using Laser, today better known as LiDAR. Nowadays, SP has successfully pioneered the use of drones in the field of dam engineering in a wide range of contexts and environments, accumulating over 200 hours of flight in 10 countries.

Innovative
hydraulic design

Our ingenious hydraulic structures have contributed to improve the overall performance and reliability of several projects. The Gibe III spillway’s original design has been presented at international specialist conferences.