SKYWALK ON TIANMEN MOUNTAIN

Jutting out from a sheer cliff 1,430 meters high, the glass skywalk in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park offers sightseers terrifying thrills and clear view of the mountains below as they tread nervously across the 60 meter long bridge encircling the vertical cliffs of Tianmen Mountain in Hunan province.

The walkway, made of tempered glass about 2.5 in thick, spans 200 ft of a two-km loop encircling the vertical cliffs of Tianmen Mountain in China’s Hunan province, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Tianmen mountain, literally translated as Heavenly Gate Mountain is so called because of a huge natural cave that occurs halfway up to the summit. Looking down between their feet while on the see-through skywalk, visitors have a crystal-clear view of the rocky ravine beneath them.

The walkway joins the west cliff at the Yunmeng Fairy Summit, the summit of Tianmen Mountain and Zhang Jiajie. “Tourists can walk, run or even jump on the walkway as the fence and planks are all tempered glass,” said Tian Huilin, deputy general manager at the tourism office of the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Spot.

“The experience is unique. Tourists can have a bird’s-eye view of the rocky pinnacles rising from a cover of dense subtropical vegetation and sometimes veiled by clouds through glass.

” Walking on the glass section of the walkway can make your heart beat like a drum but it is an experience you wont forget. Environmentalists, however, have criticised the project, saying the overhang would tarnish the pristine mountain.

“The glass road is odd compared with the ancient plank roads, which appear to be made of stone or wood and are more harmonious with the landscape,” said Wang Yanyong.

He added that innovation should not go against the basic natural and cultural context. Do you dare to take up the glass skywalk challenge? I will be honest. I won’t dare. My head will go giddy and I may throw up as I have a fear of heights.

ARGANZUELA FOOTBRIDGE BY DOMINIQUE PERRAULT

“The burying underground of the highway that ran along the edges of the Manzanares river provided the opportunity to open up a new urban territory to the inhabitants of Madrid: the Manzanares Park.

A series of bridges over the river will allow passage from one side of the park to the other. Designed to link the neighborhoods on the right and left banks of the river, the Arganzuela Footbridge is the longest of all the built bridges.

The bridge is for both pedestrians and cyclists. The footbridge enables people to cross from one side of the park to the other while also providing direct access to the park below.

Cone like in structure, the bridge has two interlocking metal spirals, wrapped by a metallic ribbon. Spaced wooden slats make up the floor of the bridge, allowing the rays of the sun to penetrate through to the park below. 

The cones' geographic location creates a belvedere over the park and the surrounding city as well as an exceptional location from which it will be possible to admire the famous Toledo Bridge. Shaded during the day, the promenade becomes luminous at night.” D. Perrault

Forming a major element in the new urban strategy for the city named “Madrid Rio”, the Arganzuela Footbridge is already called “the jewel of the Rio” by the residents.

Over 270 meters long, the Arganzuela footbridge is located between the historic Toledo bridge and the Praga bridge which leads to the cultural centre of the capital. It links the Arganzuela and Carabanchel neighborhoods.

The Arganzuela Parc, which hides some of the buried highway’s technical infrastructures, has an irregular topography.

Playing with that topography, the two cones join above the curve of a hill, and are offset to create a new entrance point to the park.

The first cone – to the south – spans from the Avenida de Manzaranes, crosses over the river and then joins the top of the hill. Placed offset to the first cone, the second cone – to the north – passes over the other side of the park to reach the Paseo de Yeserias.

This positioning creates a platform over the park and the surrounding city, and an exceptional vantage point from which to admire the famous Toledo Bridge.

Each cone rests upon two pillars laid at each end, giving the impression that the footbridge is floating in the air. Made in steel, the self supporting main structure has two interlocking metal spirals that cross diagonally.

A silver ribbon, made of metallic mesh, wraps this structure and protects the users from the sun and the bad weather. “Sewn” like a spiral, this ribbon creates a rhythmic and dynamic line to the Arganzuela Park.

The metallic mesh, a favored material of Perrault, transforms and changes the footbridge depending on the time of the day; alternating between filtering, reflective and opaque.

Shaded during the day, the promenade becomes luminous at night, like a lantern. It’s impossible to capture all those visual possibilities in one single glimpse, as the metallic mesh turns the footbridge into a living object.

client: Madrid City Council, Madrid, Spain

architect: Dominique Perrault Architecture, Paris, France

engineering: MC2 / Julio Martínez Calzón, Madrid (stucture); TYPSA, Madrid (mechanical engineering)
location: Parque de la Arganzuela, 28045, Madrid, Spain

site area: 10 ha

built area: footbridge 150 m (section 1) 128 m (section 2) length, 5 to 12 m width

beginning of conceptual design: February 2005

beginning of construction: February 2010

inauguration: 24 March 2011