Venice A History of Protection

Since the 2nd Century, Venice has offered protection to its citizens and required protection from the sea. Trelleborg is now contributing to its epic story.

Trelleborg’s involvement in Venice gets to the very essence of the Blue Dimension™ concept: we protect. The founding families of Venice first settled in the area to take refuge; the water of the Venetian lagoon provided protection against invaders. The irony is that Venice now requires protection against the water that initially served as its protector, now threatening both flooding and erosion. Trelleborg helps with this.

The MOSE project involves the construction of 78 flood barriers. Most of the time they will remain under the surface of the water and only be activated when acqua alta (high water) is predicted. When this happens they will unfold, and protect the lagoon from the tide that enters from the Adriatic. They can protect against sea-levels of up to 3 meters, higher than has ever been historically recorded.

It is, by any standard, an ambitious project and Trelleborg has been involved since the beginning.
Trelleborg has provided custom-made sealing systems, incorporating natural rubber Seismic Gina gaskets, Omega seals, and specifically designed seals manufactured for maximum tolerance. Large quantities of fenders have also been produced and installed from the diverse Super Cone and Arch product ranges. This has been possible because Trelleborg has the capacity and flexibility to meet the demands of the project. 

The flood barriers will protect Venice from flooding for the next 100 years and Trelleborg’s seals will last for the lifetime of the project. In a sense, though, this is just one element of an even longer project, the protection of Venice and Venetians that has been ongoing for close to 2000 years. Trelleborg is proud to be part of it.

Facts about Trelleborg’s solution
Gina gaskets and Omega seals are highly engineered precision-made molded rubber sealing components that work in combination and through hydrostatic forces to prevent leakage between sectional elements in tunnels and on immersion joints. With proven functionality and a life time expectancy of 120 years, the sealing elements that are capable of absorbing axial movements and settlements are extremely resilient, even in seismic movement. This means they offer the ultimate protection below ground and in flood defenses.

If you would like to know more about this solution, please go to: Water Management