On either side of the Glass Bridge in southeastern China’s Guangdong province, one can simply cross the threshold of its red-painted concrete towers to walk on air. The new suspension bridge, which spans 1,725 feet, is composed of several layers of ultra-clear tempered laminated glass, allowing brave pedestrians to gaze 650 feet down at the Huangchuan river gorge below. (Those with a fear of heights might need to hold onto its curved stainless-steel guardrails). The flexible structure’s wind-resistant cable system, fixed to the concrete anchors, was built to withstand the region’s frequent typhoons. Designed by the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Company for a local tourism bureau, the transparent footpath will mainly attract “adventurous spirits,” acknowledges Xie Xu, the chief engineer—and probably some white knuckles too.
Watch a video of the project below. Video courtesy Sunshine PR.