ESG’s Favourite Uses of Glass Flooring
Visually pleasing, modern and practical … the appeal of glass flooring is there for all to see. Adding a touch of elegance and elevating the entire environment to project a contemporary and eye catching ambiance, it is no wonder that glass flooring is becoming a popular choice for the world’s leading architects. In addition to this, glass flooring can also be used in extremely creative and unique ways! In this article, ESG look at some of our favourite uses of glass flooring from locations around the globe.
Glass Flooring on Taihang Mountain Bridge – A Cracking Idea!
Many people would find a stroll over a high altitude bridge to be quite a daunting prospect at the best of times … but this particular bridge in China has taken the concept to a whole new level! Located in the Taihang Mountain region near Handan city, this high altitude glass bridge has been designed to create the illusion of the glass flooring cracking underneath the travellers feet as they cross the structure. We guess it would depend on your sense of humour to decide if this is an excellent tourist attraction or a very cruel joke!
The Taihang Mountain Bridge is affixed to the mountainside, hanging over an amazing 3,800 feet in the air. This stunning attraction offers an amazing view of the surrounding scenery, but is also not recommended to those who scare easily! In various YouTube clips that have been viewed over the last few years, you can clearly see the illusion that the glass flooring is going to shatter as unsuspecting tourists tentatively travel across! The look of fear in the face of the poor visitors is quite a sight to behold!
The Canyon Skywalk – A Grand View!
Beautiful views of one of the seven wonders of the world awaits tourists at the amazing Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The stunning 10ft wide glass bridge is horseshoe shaped and extends over the Grand Canyon at an impressive distance of 70ft. Visitors have a superb view of the canyon with over 4,000ft to the floor below, making them feel like they’re walking on air! Whilst standing on glass flooring this far above a canyon may feel like a dangerous prospect, this could not be further from the truth as the skywalk is apparently strong enough to hold 70 fully loaded 747 passenger jets!
The CN Tower – Toronto – Canada’s Celebration Destination!
Toronto’s CN Tower originally opened in the summer of 1976 with a construction cost of approximately $63,000,000 and is a notorious landmark that towers above the city’s skyline.
The tower boasts unique glass flooring that sits 1,122.0 ft above ground level and according to the official website, can withstand the weight of 35 moose or more than 3 orcas! The glass panels are 2.5 inches thick … including a scuff plate, 4 x 1.25cm layers of glass and an air pocket for insulation. The amazing views from this structure are really a site to behold and it was the first of its kind when it first opened in 1994. In 2008, glass flooring was also installed in the high speed elevators to give guests an amazing view whilst emphasising the impressive speed they were travelling!
The Sky Pool – London – The Sky’s The Limit!
Lying in-between two buildings of the Embassy Gardens development, the heated Sky Pool is an impressive 82 feet in length with the middle 45-foot area of the structure suspended seemingly in mid air! The idea of the floating pool was devised due to lack of room on the rooftop area and we think it’s safe to say that this bold move was well worth the effort! The suspended design with glass flooring creates an amazing effect whilst preserving its impressive scale without compromising any valuable floor space on the roof of the Embassy Gardens Building.
The entry steps and filtration systems are situated at both ends of the pool which is believed to be the the world’s largest single piece of load-bearing acrylic (with the frame weighing over 50 tonnes with an 8 inch thickness and a 12-inch thick base). This stunning pool is nearly 10 feet deep and rests on a hidden steel frame to create this impressive and unforgettable floating pool effect.
Blackpool Tower Glass Flooring – A Tall Order!
Blackpool Tower is a popular tourist attraction located in Blackpool, England.
The tower was made available to the public in 1894 when it was the tallest man made structure in the Britain at the time. A ‘Walk of Faith’ glass flooring feature was added in 1998 at the top of the structure which consists of 2 laminated glass sheets … the glass is two inches thick and weighs up to half a tonne. While this spectacle doesn’t quite match up to the stomach turning ‘cracked glass’ trick on the Taihang Bridge … it is still a really unique experience to stand at such an impressive height and see the surrounding Blackpool coastal town beneath your feet!
