Storia - Apparecchiature antisismiche

The Alga Group's history began in 1942 when Dr. Ing. Giuseppe Marioni and Dr. Ing. Pietro Noli, who are recognized fathers of the technology of partial prestressing, headed a research program at the University of Zurich, with the technical advice of Professors Pietro Colonnetti and Franco Levi and the supervision of Professor Ros. Those tests were to establish the feasibility of using high tensile wire as a pre-tensioning element for clay precast elements.

After two years Biarmato was founded and in 1956 it was merged with Prebeton Cavi, that was the precursor and the company leader of post-tensioning technologies in Italy. The experience gained in over 30 years especially in the field of superhighway building and bridges was merged in PRECO, which developed it's own post-tensioning system and extended the activity to all branches of civil engineering fields.

Alga was founded in 1969 initially working in the design, supply and installation of bridge bearings and expansion joints. Alga later began to develop innovative anti-seismic technologies coming to be the first company in Europe to apply these technologies by isolating the Telecom head office in Ancona with High Damping Rubber Bearings 1987.


During the '90s Alga incorporated Preco, becoming the holder of numerous patents, know-how and extensive experience in the post-tension field built up by this company, and continuing the development of its activity.


Also in the ‘90s was inaugurated in Montebello della Battaglia (Pavia), the testing laboratory Algalab, provided with modern equipments to perform static and dynamic tests on different devices. The testing laboratory Algalab, a sign of the continuous commitment that Alga has always had in Research and Development, is now the basis of the certification activity of the devices supplied by Alga according to the latest European standards (CE marking).


Alga is today a leading company in the supply of bearings, expansion joints, seismic and post-tensioning systems, having been involved in prestigious projects in Italy and worldwide. The wide range of supplies for the Italian high-speed railways (TAV), the production and installation of over 25,000 bearings for the Taiwan High Speed Railway (THSR), the supply of expansion joints for the new runway of Tokyo Haneda Airport (the only company in the world to supply expansion joints for airport runways), the supply of seismic isolation devices type sliding pendulum ALGAPEND for the C.A.S.E. project in L'Aquila (Italy), are some examples of jobs where Alga has been chosen for the quality of its products and its experience.


ALGA is currently directed by Dr. Ing Agostino Marioni, who is also president of the European Technical Committee for Standardization of the bearings (CEN - TC 167).