World's Longest Glass-Bottomed Bridge, China
Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University (UAD) has completed a 526-metre-long glass-bottomed bridge in China. Spanning the Lianjiang River, the structure has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world. This glass bridge is suspended at a height of 201 meters, with a width of 8.8 meters. Built as a tourist attraction, the bridge has a capacity of 500 people.
The suspended glass bridge spans the cliffs, and overlooks the largest cluster of waterfalls in Northern Guangdong. Named Glass Bridge in Huangchuan Three Gorges Scenic Area, the bridge becomes a local landmark, which seems to "grow" from the natural environment. Through blending the structure into the natural surroundings and deploying innovative construction methods, the design team realized the seamless integration of nature and the artificial.
The bridge is paved with three layers of 4.5-centimeter-thick ultra-clear tempered laminated glass, the visible transmittance of which is 99.15 percent. The glass, the guardrails composed of curved stainless steel bars, the bridge tower and red main cables, together form a built landscape that combines the solid and void, the modern and the classical.
The architects responded to the site conditions in the project. Besides, due to the large span and flexible structural system, this suspension bridge requires excellent wind resistance performance. In order to enhance lateral sustainability and wind resistance performance of the bridge, the designers adopted an oblique wind-resistant cable system, which is fixed to concrete anchors. So far, it has become a new local landmark, and has been attracting a large number of tourists.
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