The Skywalk
Introduction
On seeing a progressive future of tourism, State of Sikkim decided to offer a destination to the tourists with an appealing entrance – Buddhist Monastery with a Glass Skywalk – India’s first Glass Skywalk.
The new Buddhist pilgrimage site at Pelling in West Sikkim opened its gates on November 1st 2018. It plays host to the world’s tallest 137-feet Chenrezig statue. In order to promote the city as a Buddhist pilgrimage government initiated the project of the Glass walkway. The project was initiated in 2009 and consecrated by Dalai Lama in March 2018.
The project has been quite challenging for the engineers because of the State’s hilly terrain. Having to construct a walkable glass floor brought in a lot of complexities owing to the dynamic loads acting on the glass from the huge influx of tourists in this serene location. The glass used for this application had to withstand the following conditions:
- External application at an elevation of 7.2km
- Safety glass
- Live Load: 500 kg/sq.m
- Weight of the glass < 100 kg/sq.m
- Max Span of the glass: 2600 X 2400 mm
Products used
Specialty Glass
~200 sqm Litefloor
Project Key Achievements
- India's First Skywalk
Project Key Challenges
- Hilly Terrain of the project location posed a challenge to the transportation and installation
- Customizing the solution to suit the loading requirements and shaped glasses to seat along the edges
- The location where the glass is installed has severe weather conditions like heavy rain and snow during winter
Stakeholders
Public Works Department
Archtech Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata
ThatzIt Pvt Ltd.
