Raffles City Chongqing’s impressive sky bridge to open from next year
Raffles City Chongqing's curved accordion-shaped "horizontal skyscraper", which sits atop four 250m-tall towers, can also boast of a world record for a commercial and residential complex, according to its developer.
It has the highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers.
Named The Conservatory, the sky bridge - 400m above sea level - includes a viewing deck, sky gardens, swimming pools, restaurants and pubs.
Opening in phases next year, the 24 billion yuan (S$5 billion) complex by CapitaLand and Ascendas-Singbridge comprises eight towers with an overall construction floor area of 1.12 million sq m, which is the size of 170 football fields. It will contain a shopping mall, residences, offices and a hotel.
Raffles City Chongqing has outdone Singapore's Marina Bay Sands - a 200m-tall development with a sky park linking the three towers. Both were designed by architect Moshe Safdie.
The complex process of erecting the 300m-long platform on Raffles City Chongqing is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.
"Some of the world's most advanced construction and engineering techniques have been deployed to install this mega-structure on Chaotianmen," said CapitaLand president and group chief executive Lim Ming Yan, referring to the site of the development at the confluence of Yangtze and Jialing rivers next to Chongqing's central business district.
"Chongqing is one of the fastest growing cities in China with strong investment potential," said Mr Lim.
BELT AND ROAD
Last year, the gross domestic product of this gateway city to China's vast western region grew at a clip of 9.3 per cent, outpacing the national average of 6.9 per cent.
"The city's fortunes are set to rise further with a raft of economic initiatives in its favour, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, Yangtze River Economic Belt promotional plan and its pilot free trade zone," Mr Lim added.
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