It is located in China, it stands 250 meters high and is 526,14 meters long
A new dizzying and transparent attraction it has won the Guinness World Record: it is the longest glass bridge in the world, an open-air structure that stands 250 meters high and towers over the Three Gorges of Huangchuan, in Lianzhou. It has a length of 526,14 meters and a width of 8,8 meters.
The engineering challenge
It took three years and 300 million yuan (37 million euros) to build, based on a project by the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University, which has chosen to use three layers of tempered glass 4,5 cm thick with a high index of transparency and refraction. The construction of this bridge was a real challenge: “located in southeast China, Guangdong is hit by frequent typhoons in the summer. Due to the large span and flexible structural system, this suspension bridge requires excellent wind resistance performance”Explain the designers. Based on these considerations, the design team performed wind tunnel testing and finite element simulation, analyzed the main frequency and vibration modes, and identified design parameters such as critical flutter speed and reasonable degree of enclosure of the guardrails, which provided strong support to optimize the design and maintenance of the bridge in the future. Meanwhile, in order to improve the lateral sustainability and wind resistance performance of the glass bridge, a wind resistant oblique cable system has been adopted, which is fixed to the concrete anchors ”.
A "transparent corridor" in the air
After the wait due to the Covid-19 emergency, this wonderful building has finally been inaugurated. Her architecture it is perfectly integrated into the natural environment and hovers in the air offering a breathtaking view. Up to 500 people can cross the Lianjiang River at the same time and stop to admire the green landscape from the glass floor and from four panoramic terraces. The bridge is strong enough to allow even cars to cross it.
