China boasts more than its fair share of impressive engineering feats, including the world’s second-tallest skyscraper and the highest bridge. We can soon add highest skybridge to the list too, courtesy of Moshe Safdie’s Raffles City Chongqing project, which is currently under construction in southwest China.
Developer CapitaLand’s reference to the skybridge as a horizontal skyscraper is an exaggeration, but a forgivable one. Named the Conservatory, this thing is massive and measures 300 m (984 ft) in length. Its curved structure is supported at a height of 250 m (820 ft) by four mixed-use towers, which themselves include offices, apartments, retail space and hotels. An adjacent pair of 350 m (1,148 ft)-tall towers are linked by a couple of smaller skybridges. In all, the project has eight towers planned.
The interior of the Conservatory features an infinity pool, sky gardens, and observation decks. It comprises a steel structure weighing 12,000 tons and is enclosed with 3,200 pieces of glass and 4,800 aluminum panels. Engineering firm Arup is lending its expertise to help the team navigate potential dangers like high winds and seismic activity, not to mention getting the thing up there safely in the first place.