Architect and structural engineer Masud Akbarzade has caused conventional wisdom by constructing a bridge of material considered inappropriate: glass.
The architect created a 30-foot bridge, built entirely of a blocking 16mm (0.63 inches) hollow glass pieces. It looks incredibly fragile and beautiful, like shiny, full of light, translucent structure.
“All these pieces themselves, hollow glass units, may look quite fragile – and they are, but depending on how you design these glass units together, they begin to rely on each other, and the installation of the units finds the way to be transferred effectively. In this way, the bridge acquires the force as a whole,” Akbarza says.
Inspired by the principle of Mesopotamians
For three weeks in 2024, the team has constructed this final structure called “Glass Bridge: Penn Monument for Hope”.
The journey to create this masterpiece was anything but simple. It took six years planning, preparation and review.
The bridge relies on engineering and architectural principles of millennia, especially those related to the funicular design. This means that the bridge is built to naturally process forces, mainly using compression (pressing forces) to remain strong and stable.
This concept, focused on balancing forces through arches and arches, has been used since 4000 BC.
The first step was a modest but decisive 10-foot prototype, proof of their digital machinations. The prototype of the bridge uses hollow glass units that were blocked to form an arch of the bridge. The main challenge was to find a way to connect the glass pieces without making them crack.
In the end, structural bilateral VHB tape and precision cut acrylic connectors were used. Acrylic connectors joined the glass units, ensuring accurate alignment and load transfer.
When testing stress, this prototype glass block successfully withstands a significant amount of pressure force (41.6 kilo).
“This approach allows the necessary tolerance and ease of assembly without compromising the integrity of the glass,” said Yao Lou, a major member of the design team.
Wooden support was designed by a research associate Boyu Xiao to keep the hollow glass units on the spot during assembly. Laboratory for polyhedral structures
Exceptional accuracy is required
Vilanova University has helped the team find material to prevent glass pieces from cracking when touched. They found that polyvinyl pushed (PVB), often used in safety glass, works perfectly as an interface material.
This laminate material acts as a buffer between glass modules, preventing direct contact and concentrations of voltage.
The construction of the glass bridge requires far more accuracy than a standard bridge.
Steel or concrete can allow light imperfections, but glass units had to fit along with almost perfect accuracy-with tolerance of only 0.1 millimeters. This incredibly tight margin of mistake made construction extremely challenging.
“But with these connectors, every cut, every angle, each dimension had to be accurate within 0.1 millimeters,” Akbarzade said.
“When dealing with 124 separate glass units, even the smallest discrepancy can be multiplied throughout the span. If we do not maintain this level of precision, the whole structure could collapse under its own weight,” he added in the press message.
In order to reach the necessary accuracy, the team partners with companies located in Germany and China.
On November 30, after a week of long days and late nights, the bridge stood tall.
The glass bridge is currently at an exhibition at the Corning Glass Museum until September 1st. Before opening the exhibit, Greenhouse Media filmed the bridge construction and interviewed the team, creating a documentary about the project.
The bridge structure in the magazine is reported Engineering structures.