MONT BLANC NEW ROPEWAYS

Repubblica Italiana MONT BLANC NEW ROPEWAYS Ing. Marco Petrella 1

THE CURRENT ROPEWAYS Mont Blanc ropeways were made between 1940 and 1947 from military state property. The current ropeways consist of three sections that lead from La Palud - Courmayeur (1370 m) to Punta Helbronner (3452 m), in the core of the Mont Blanc mountain chain. In the year 2000 the property of the ropeways passed from the domain to the Autonomous Region of Valle d'aosta, because the installations were due to expire of technical life (year 2007). 2

First section La Palud Pavillon -Tensioning bottom station 1370 m a.s.l. -Driving upper station: 2178 m a.s.l. -Inclined length: 1806 m -Difference in level: 808 m -Capacity: 260 p/h -Capacity of each car 26+1 persons -Maximum speed 8 m/s -Trip duration: 5 minutes Pavillon Pavillon La Palud La Palud 3

Rifugio Torino Second section Pavillon Rifugio Torino -Tensioning bottom station: 2181 m a.s.l. -Driving upper station: 3329 m a.s.l. -Inclined length: 2440 m -Difference in level: 1148 m -Capacity: 300 p/h -Capacity of each car 30+1 persons -Maximum speed 10 m/s -Trip duration: 5 min. 56 Sec Rifugio Torino Pavillon Pavillon 4

Punta Helbronner Third section Rif. Torino Punta Helbronner - Driving bottom station 3320 m a.s.l. -Tensioning upper station 3452 m a.s.l. -Inclined length: 252 m -Difference in level: 132 m -Capacity 400 p/h -Capacity of each car 8 persons -Maximum speed 6 m/s -Trip duration: 1 min. 7 Sec. Rifugio Torino Punta Helbronner Rifugio Torino 5

The new ropeways project is divided in two sections from 1370 m of altitude of Pontal d'entreves to 3452 m of Punta Helbronner. 2 Section PUNTA HELBRONNER PONTAL D ENTRÈVES 1 Section PAVILLON MONT-FRÉTY LA PALUD 6

1. Keep the current international transport infrastructure, integrated with the plants in France. 2. Safeguard the only Italian transport service that allows the access and the utilization of one of the most interesting sites of the world for tourists and climbers. 3. Build installations and stations according to the current technological standards and modern safety criteria, ensuring a degree of very high reliability 4. Make available facilities and environments truly accessible to any type of user (including the disabled) regardless of the weather conditions. 5. Offer to the users an integrated transport system, with service level adequate to the current expectations, aligned to the similar transports already available in France, Swiss and Austria. 6. Ensure access, and especially the evacuation, by the high altitude sites, regardless of the weather conditions which today heavily penalize the continuity of the ropeways service. 7

7. Equip the ropeway complex with a transportation capacity tailored to potential demand, today not satisfied during the high flow periods and rationalize the working mode in order to minimize costs. 8. Build stations integrated and harmonized with surrounding areas by reducing the environmental impact and energy requirements. 9. Install highly technological plant for water supply and waste management in every areas affected by the project. 10. Equip the stations of appropriate areas of public utility released by commercial facilities and dining options, museum areas, paths of study, multimedia and scenic areas outdoor and indoor to allow a pleasant stay also in the days of bad weather 11. Renaturalize existing areas in the intermediate station of the Pavillon, by providing for the recovery of the volumes disused. 12. Build the station of Punta Helbronner in order to benefit the formidable panorama with the maximum comfort from the inside and from the outdoor terraces. 13. Facilitate access and use to the wonderful outdoor environments of the Pavillon and Punta Helbronner 8

1 Section: Pontal d Entrèves Mont Fréty Trip duration : 5 min. Capacity: 800 P/h Horizontal Length: 1516.74 m Inclined length: 1751.31 m Difference in level: 865.98 m Average gradient: 57.1 % Line speed with main drive 9 m/s Line speed with reserve drive 4.5 m/s Line speed with recovery drive 1 m/s Line speed with rescue drive 4 m/s Car Mass with driver 7200 kg Useful load (80 persons) 6400 kg Car Mass with full load 13600 kg Rescue carriage mass with full load (10+1) 2500 kg Capacity cars 80+1 pers. Carrying rope Nominal Tension (bottom station)165790 dan Hauling rope balance weight 46000 kg Rescue rope balance weight 13250 kg Main drive power 650 kw Reserve drive power 325 kw Recovery drive power 100 kw Rescue drive power 100 kw Line supports 3 Carrying ropes diameter 64 mm Superior hauling rope diameter 35 mm Inferior hauling rope diameter 35 mm Rescue rope diameter 16 mm Drive station bottom station Carrying rope tensioning anchored Hauling rope tensioning upper station Rescue rope tensioning upper station 9

Trip duration: 7 min. 2 Section: Mont Fréty Punta Helbronner Capacity: 600 P/h Horizontal Length: 2292.68 m Inclined length: 2627.25 m Difference in level: 1275.84 m Average gradient: 55.6 % Line speed with main drive 9 m/s Line speed with reserve drive 4.5 m/s Line speed with recovery drive 1 m/s Line speed with rescue drive 4 m/s Car Mass with driver 7400 kg Useful load (80 persons) 6000 kg Car Mass with full load 13400 kg Rescue carriage mass with full load (10+1) 2500 kg Capacity cars 75+1 pers. Carrying rope Nominal Tension (bottom station)158920 dan Hauling rope balance weight 50000 kg Rescue rope balance weight 25000 kg Main drive power 650 kw Reserve drive power 325 kw Recovery drive power 110 kw Rescue drive power 100 kw Line supports 2 Carrying ropes diameter 64 mm Superior hauling rope diameter 35 mm Inferior hauling rope diameter 35 mm Rescue rope diameter 16 mm Drive station bottom station Carrying rope tensioning anchored Hauling rope tensioning upper station Rescue rope tensioning upper station 10

Rotating Cabins A ropeway ball-like (the spherical shape has always been the preferred design for the spaceships) for Mont Blanc, offers many advantages. The sphere is the shape that has the outer surface lower with respect to the volume. It has no corners or edges, so it is able to support the load evenly from all sides. It does not show structural defects and it is the form less wasteful of energy. The cars become a center of information and entertainment during the trip. Passengers receive on the screens detailed information on current weather, avalanche risk, offers, schedules of the plant, events, promotions and various news. A camera placed under the floor allows to transmit in the cab panoramic images of the valley below. The rotating cab does a complete turn during the single trip allowing everyone to see the panorama to 360. 11

The station integrates the following services: Covered parking. Ticket Office Technical rooms and FMB offices Coffee shop and restrooms. Local Infirmary. Tourist information offices. 13

The roofing curvature provides the structure with an aerodynamic aspect, giving the main function of "protection" by the breath of the avalanche, even a strong stylistic component, able to adapt and be welded to the morphology of the natural terrain. 14

The roofing of the station is made by 10 curved beams wave formed, supported by four large longitudinal beams and tubular pylons. 16 16

The area uses only a part of available spaces, conditioned by the presence of the botanical garden and the existing infrastructure. 19

Pavillon intermediate station was designed to fit elegantly within the corrugated alpine context of Mont Frety. 20

The features of the site allow the insertion of a series of complementary services : Inner lifts. Bar with panoramic terrace. High level restaurant with panoramic terrace. Typical Restaurant Multimedia room and theater with 100 seats. Commercial Areas Wide museum area Thematic communication areas External routes of approach to nature. Botanical Garden. Solarium with the view of Mont Blanc. 22

The second section, with two intermediate line supports, from the Pavillon to Punta Helbronner, bypass the current station of Turin Refuge. Rif. Torino Pozzo Tunnel 24

TUNNEL Length: 167 m Difference in level 3.16 m Height 3m Useful width : 2.5m P. Helbronner WELL, Difference in level 76.94 m Inner Diameter: 5m Bored Diameter: 6-7 m Concrete Covering: 0,5-1m Piloting hole: 200 mm Raise Bore: 1,5 m WELL Rif. Torino nuovo Tunnel From a structural point of view, the element which ensures the consolidation of the rocky substrate and provides maximum safety to the anchorages of the ropes is a well made by reinforced concrete with internal diameter of 5 m, about 80 meters deep in the rock. The structure equipped with central elevators and emergency staircase, offers the connection between the refuge Torino Nuovo and the new station, because the new project, will eliminate the current stop near the Refuge. 25

The edgy nature of the external forms is in close relationship with the use of materials with high performance. The selected shapes are also able to avoid the accumulation of snow and ice on the outside surfaces of the building, even through the contribution of thermostatic performance of the coating materials. 26

The stingy space availability has pushed the shapes toward the empty slopes in search of spaces projecting. The elements of different materials (reinforced concrete, steel, wood and glass), provides the internal spaces in close relationship with the outside 27

On top of a mountain at 3500 meters, nothing can go wrong. The structures are fully pre assembled in the workshop, disassembled and reassembled in blocks up to 5 tons (maximum teleferics and crane in Punta Helbronner). 28

Today are working 120 people over the 7 different sites. The supply of the materials is organized through the use of four teleferics and six cranes: Teleferics: T1 Brenva Pavillon (10 ton) T2 Line 1 (5 ton) T3 Pavillon Turin Refuge (5 ton) T4 Line 2 (5 ton) Cranes: - 2 at the site of Pontal - 1 at the site of Pavillon - 3 at the site of Punta Helbronner ( two of them are used to carry material from the T3 top station to Punta Helbronner). 31

TODAY 37

COSTS Total Amount 110.814.480,22 Works and supplies 106.546.163,88 Security burden: 4.198.091,85 Charges of landfill: 70.224,49 MATERIALS Concrete : 35.000 mc Steel for reinforced concrete: 4.000 ton Steel structural works: 2.000 ton Steel for ropeway structural works: 1.000 ton Excavations and infill: 150.000 mc Carrying ropes (diameter, 64 mm): 18.000 m - 400 ton Hauling ropes (diameter, 35-36 mm): 10.000 m - 60 ton Rescue ropes (diameter, 16 mm): 10.000 m - 10 ton Starting station altitude: 1308.20 m a.s.l. Arriving station altitude: 3449.24 m a.s.l. Difference in level: 2141 m Punta Helbronner panoramic terrace altitude: 3463.24 m s.l.m. 38

DIMENSIONE INGENIERIE Srl (Team-Leader Mandatory and Service Coordinator) FUNIPLAN Srl Arch. CARLO CILLARA ROSSI SI.ME.TE s.n.c STUDIO CORONA Srl PROTEO Srl STUDIO CANCELLI ASSOCIATO Ing. SERGIO RAVET Dott. For. SILVIO DURANTE Dott. For. PAOLO TERZOLO Dott. Geol. ROBY VUILLERMOZ 39

Consorzio Cordée Mont Blanc: Cogeis SpA Doppelmayr Italia Srl I.V.I.E.S. SpA Costruzioni Stradali B.G.F Srl P.A.C. SpA Consorzio Stabile Valle d Aosta S.C.ar.l Boma Construction Srl 40

SUPPORT 1 SUPPORT 3 28 m 42 m 43

April 2012 June 2012 August 2012 46

and see you on 2016 7th ANIMP conference in our new Pavillon meeting room Follow us at www.nuovefuniviemontebianco.com 48