Glass for Tower Bridge

For the 120th anniversary of London’s iconic Tower Bridge, Glassolutions Facade Design & Supply UK designed a glass floor that enables visitors to spy on the river, roads and pavements from 42 meters above the Thames, and even to experience watching the bascules being raised.

A highly technical project

The glass panels produced for this significant project are 84 millimeters thick and consist of seven layers: sgg PLANITHERM ULTRA N II low-E laminated glass, sgg DIAMANT extra-flint glass LITEFLOOR anti-skid glass. Installed by Glassolutions Contracting, the glass was assembled in the Vetrotech KINON plant in Germany. It provides a panoramic view of the British capital.

Performance

This custom-made glass floor has very high impact resistance: it can withstand the impact of a boat and strong winds, and is exceptionally durable. A layer of sacrificial glass has been included for replacement within less than 8 hours without affecting the structure’s integrity in the event of any damage.

This achievement can be credited to the performance of the Glassolutions teams combined with the knowledge of the Tower Bridge engineers. This new glass floor was installed without any disruption to the bridge’s vehicle or pedestrian traffic, or the river traffic below.