China will have another iconic landmark when Raffles City Chongqing opens, scheduled to take place in the second quarter of this year. The 1.12 mil sq m megastructure recently topped out its eighth and final skyscraper, following the structural completion of its 250-m-high sky bridge, called The Crystal.

According to the developer, CapitaLand, The Crystal will be world’s highest sky bridge linking six of Raffles City Chongqing’s eight skyscrapers. The development occupies 9.2 ha of site area, comprising a 235,000-sq m shopping mall, 150,000-sq m of Grade A office space, about 1,400 residential apartments, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing serviced residence and InterContinental Raffles City Chongqing hotel. 

“The successful topping out of Raffles City Chongqing represents a new milestone in CapitaLand’s track record of building well-designed integrated spaces. It demonstrates our multi-faceted capabilities in delivering a vertically-built riverfront urban district seamlessly integrated with a major transportation hub comprising ferry, subway and bus stations,” said Lucas Loh, president of China & Investment Management at CapitaLand Group. 

“After six years of construction using state-of-the-art engineering technologies, we are proud to present in Raffles City Chongqing an iconic architectural form resembling a powerful sail surging forward on the historic Chaotianmen site. Conceived as a landmark urban renewal project to power generations of economic growth, the megastructure is on track to set sail with Chongqing’s global city ambitions from the second quarter of 2019.”

Mr Loh added, “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.” 

Two of the eight skyscrapers feature 350-m-high known as Chongqing’s tallest buildings, one of which also holds the honour of China’s tallest residential tower, according to CapitaLand. The other six skyscrapers are about 250-m-high each. 

Dubbed Raffles City Chongqing’s ninth ‘horizontal skyscraper’, The Crystal is an enclosed sky bridge nestled above four of the 250-m-tall skyscrapers and links two adjacent skyscrapers by cantilevered bridges. Measuring 300 m in length, 32.5 m in width and 26.5 m in height, it is believed to be the world’s highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers. 

Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, Raffles City Chongqing’s form is inspired by the historic images of great Chinese sailing vessels and pays tribute to Chongqing’s noble past as a trading centre.  

CapitaLand further highlighted that Raffles City Chongqing has received an Honourable Distinction for the China Tall Building Innovation Award. It is also Chongqing city’s largest development to be accorded the LEED-CS pre-certification (Gold Level) by the United States Green Building Council, which recognises best-in-class building strategies and practices.