Megastructure with world's highest sky bridge tops out in Chongqing, China

A megastructure featuring the world's highest sky bridge has been structurally completed in China's third largest city.

Following six years of construction, the Moshe Safdie-designed Raffles City is nearing completion in Chongqing.

Reminiscent of the iconic Marina Bay Sands, where three towers are connected over the city-state of Singapore, Raffles City's design is inspired by the sails of the traditional Chinese trading boats that once plied their trade in the busy river that runs through the city of Chongqing.

The scale of the project is mammoth, it features a total floorspace of 817,000 sq m (roughly 8.8 million sq ft). The curved skybridge, dubbed 'The Crystal' measures 300 metres in length, 32.5 metres in width, 26.5 metres in height, and links six of the eight skyscrapers 250 meters off the ground. It's clad in roughly 3,000 glass and 5,000 aluminium panels.

The official opening ceremony is expected to take place in the second half of 2019, according to developer CapitalLand.

"Upon Raffles City Chongqing's structural completion, we are now focusing on the interior fit-out works, including transplanting trees to enliven The Crystal sky bridge, which will feature the tallest observation deck across Western China," commented CapitaLand President, Lucas Loh.

To get the Crystal into position it was constructed in nine segments, four were built in place atop the towers and three middle segments were prefabricated on the ground and hoisted into place. The end pieces were mostly assembled in place, with finishing sections also hoisted up from the ground.

The Crystal's interior will include a pair of swimming pools, a gallery, large gardens, restaurants, and various view points.

The rest of Raffles City Chongqing will host residential and office space, as well as a shopping mall and a 23-acre landscaped ground site.