Our team designed the resistance structure and the foundation system for one of the 6 architectural elements that make up the Ivan Patzaichin Memorial Complex, located on the Danube cliff in Tulcea.

The monument “Ivan’s Column” is made of a metal pillar with a height of about 15 m, with about 50 paddles of 3.7 m on either side of it, the whole assembly having the shape of a canoe. In addition to the 15 m high column, the ensemble also includes a pontoon and steps for a promenade.

The pillar was made of welded steel plates. The oars were made of stainless steel according to architectural requirements (50 round stainless steel pipes fitted at the ends with stainless steel sheet elements).

The structure was analysed under the wind loading assumption and the earthquake loading assumption, with the wind action determining the final size of the structural elements.

In addition to the strength criteria, the dimensions of the structural elements were chosen in such a way as to respect the gauge required by the theme. The size of the paddle-type oar arm was also chosen because of the consideration of limiting the deformation at the top to a maximum value of 6 cm in the horizontal plane and 2.5 cm in the vertical plane.

Foundation: Reinforced concrete foundation, disconnected from the system of the existing structure on site. The foundation is built above the beams, but it is also lowered between them, reaching below the level of the beams. Between the raft and the existing beams, a 5 cm joint has been provided at the top and sides, made of polystyrene to prevent stress on the beams in the event of excessive settlement.

According to the Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association, the “Ivan Patzaichin” memorial is a collaborative effort conceived and created by six contemporary creators who knew Ivan closely and appreciated him infinitely. The “Ivan’s Column” (artist Virgil Scripcariu) is the main element of the memorial ensemble, a symbol visible from every point of the cliff bearing the athlete’s name. It honours the memory of Ivan Patzaichin in the light of his profile as a multiple Olympic and world canoe champion, four-time gold medal winner at the 1968, 1972, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics and three-time silver medal winner. Made of stainless steel, the work will symbolically mark the moments when Ivan took Romania’s fame abroad through his sporting achievements.