5 Gravity-defying Glass Floors and Skywalks

If you’ve ever walked over a glass floor, you’ll know just how disorientating it can be. “Is this really going to support me?”, you probably thought. The thing is, we often associate glass with fragility (probably because of how easily a football can break a cheap glass window), but of course, this isn’t always the case. When treated properly, glass can be one of the most durable materials around. 

So, if you ever find yourself at the top of one of these structures listed below, try and keep all of this in mind!

Aiguille du Midi, France – Glass Skybox

In Chamonix, France around 4,000m up, you will find the Aiguille du Midi Skybox, looking down on the Bossons Glacier. It’s a 12mm-thick, triple-layered glass box and has been claimed to be the highest attraction in Europe. It’s also the closest you can get to Mont Blanc without some serious climbing gear. And don’t worry, you will  be able to get a souvenir selfie that makes you look as if you’re floating amongst the clouds!

Zhangjiajie, China – Glass Bridge

The Chinese somewhat pioneered the absolutely-terrifying glass walkway, so don’t be surprised if they have more than a couple of entries. Take this glass bridge in Zhangjiajie, for example. Opened in 2016, this 430m glass walkway is the longest of its kind in the world and sits over 300m above a picturesque mountain range. Of course – if you have any sense whatsoever, you will look forward not down.

However, to prove the safety of the bridge, a car was driven over it and one of its panels was smashed with a sledgehammer, although the latter wouldn’t exactly put our minds at ease.

Jasper National Park, Canada – Glass Overhang

In Jasper, you will find one of the most unique glass structures in the world – a large, sweeping u-shaped walkway which juts out over 100ft from the rocks. If you walk right to the edge and look down, you will be met with a near-1000ft drop, but if you look out onto the horizon, you will get a stunning view of the Canadian Rockies. You know which one gets our vote.

Tianmen Mountain, China – Cliffside Walkway

In our minds, this is probably the most impressive/scary of the bunch. Wrapping around vertical cliffs that stretch up to a vertigo-inducing 1400m, this cliffside walkway for adrenaline junkies has three different sections, including the 100m-long Coiled Dragon Cliff. 

The best part: this walkway is only 85km from the Zhangjiajie bridge, so you can do both in one trip – if you have the stomach for it. 

Haohan Qiao, China –  Glass Bridge

Located in Shiniuzhai National Geopark, this breathtaking suspension bridge spans the length of a canyon and sits around 180m off the valley floor.

Originally constructed entirely from wood, the bridge now has 24mm glass panes and can carry around 800 visitors at a time!

Glass bridge of Zhangjiajie China

 

Here at Lee Glass and Glazing, we offer premium glass products, as well as glass repair, and glass replacement services, to customers all over Nottingham. If you need advice on how to clean and maintain the glass in your home, or if you would like to organise a free, no-obligation quote, contact our friendly team today.