There no doubt that “The Conservatory”, a record-breaking Sky Bridge in China’s third largest city Chongqing, will be the highest in the world. This incredible construction will include four buildings over 250 metres high and will dethrone the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the current world record holder. For reference, Singapore’s bridge stands at a height of 200 metres (counting 60 stories) and is famous worldwide, attracting tourists from all across the globe.
“The Conservatory” will be over 300 metres long, 30 metres wide and 22.5 metres high. It will connect the towers of the new vertical city, a project still in the works known as “Raffles City”. It will not only serve as a way of getting from point A to point B but will also offer other attractions, such as a luxurious infinity pool, bars and restaurants, beautiful hanging gardens and an observation deck to enjoy the astounding view.
Obviously, building such a huge structure comes with a lot of challenges and the main issue here was hydrogeology. In this sense, the sky bridge project is extremely ambitious and it will require some of the most advanced construction and engineering methods available today. The developer himself has stated that advanced techniques are particularly necessary due to the fact that the construction is to be installed on a rail bridge- the Chaotianmen, known as Chongjing’s “Crown Jewel”.
As stated earlier, the Sky bridge will connect “Raffles City”, one of the city’s largest infrastructure projects, which is built at the meeting point between the Jialing and Yangtze rivers. The construction of Raffles City started sixteen years ago; the architect took inspiration from the long history of river transport and designed a group of skyscrapers which standing together resemble the shape of a boat sail blowing in the wind. There are nine towers in total and the whole site covers over 9 hectares- basically a city within the city. The area is mainly dedicated to office space but there are also 1,400 housing units, a luxurious hotel, shopping malls and more.
These are just some of the numerous examples of how China is leading the way in futuristic real estate development. Considering that Chongqing has a population of over thirty million people, it may certainly be considered one of China’s megacities. Its main goal is to become one of the most modern and productive urban centres of the world. In fact, the city government has recently revealed its plan to invest over 14 billion dollars in transport infrastructure, for example for constructing new roads and updating railways, airports and more.
The Sky Bridge and Raffles City are only two of the many impressive infrastructure plans China has in store for the years to come.
