Elevated Circular Pedestrian Bridge, China
The Lujiazui Pedestrian Bridge elevates foot traffic above the chaos of a busy intersection in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. While it’s only elevated 20 feet over the street, it provides a safe and leisurely route and a spot from which to enjoy various views of the immediate surroundings.
Davenport Skybridge, Iowa
A pedestrian cable-stayed bridge spans a busy road in downtown Davenport, Iowa, connecting a park and a casino to a courtyard and parking ramp. 50 feet tall and 575 feet long, the bridge serves as an observation deck with a view of the Mississippi River, the Centennial Bridge, and the Davenport Levee, which hosts festivals during the warmer months. It’s outfitted with kaleidoscope lighting including 228 LED fixtures and 8,036 individual lights capable of displaying various patterns.
The Sky Table, Russia
This concept serves as a sort of bridge to nowhere, an elevated structure soaring above the shorter city blocks on four colossal columns. It’s largely self-sustaining, including a recycling plant, solar panels and wind turbines as well as gardens. Though it would certainly cast some serious shadows on street life below, the idea is that it could be built above areas that are no longer suitable for inhabitation.
Skyscraper Bridge to Unify the Korean Peninsula
Could a building like this help reconnect the two Koreas? A skyscraper-bridge envisioned by Korean architects Kim Sehyeon, Lee jung Boram and Choung Yongsu aims to provide a link over the Demilitarized Zone of the Korean Peninsula, a 2.5-mile-wide buffer that has become one of the world’s most pristine ecological environments over the 50 years since it was established. The skybridge would contribute to a reconciliation dialogue and be filled with research labs, offices and meeting halls.
