Raffles City Chongqing

충칭 래플스 시티

Eight sail-shaped towers on the prow where the Jialing meets the Yangtze; a 300 m horizontal glass skybridge, "The Crystal", lies across four of them.

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At a glance

Country: China
Location: Chaotianmen, Chongqing, China
Built: 2019
Height: 350 m
Type: Skyscraper

Quick answers

Where is Raffles City Chongqing?

Raffles City Chongqing is in Chaotianmen, Chongqing, China.

When was Raffles City Chongqing built?

Raffles City Chongqing was built in 2019.

How tall is Raffles City Chongqing?

Raffles City Chongqing is about 350 m tall.

Raffles City Chongqing is a complex of eight skyscrapers in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China, on the tip of the peninsula where the Jialing and Yangtze rivers meet. Four of the towers, each 250 metres tall, carry a 300-metre horizontal glass skybridge called the Crystal on top. Two taller towers, 350 metres high, connect to it.

Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie designed it, and CapitaLand of Singapore developed it. The towers are shaped like the sails of Chinese trading ships, a tribute to Chongqing's past as a trading city. The complex has about 817,000 square metres of floor space, with a 235,000-square-metre shopping mall, a hotel and 1,400 homes. Its Crystal is the second-highest skybridge in the world after the one in Riyadh.

The Crystal

The Crystal is an enclosed skyway about 300 metres long, wrapped in roughly 3,000 glass panels and nearly 5,000 aluminium panels. It sets a record as the highest skybridge linking the most towers. It holds an observation deck, a park, restaurants and a private clubhouse. Only the skybridge of the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh is higher.

A giant project

The project covers 9.2 hectares and has about 817,000 square metres of floor space, with a 235,000 square-metre shopping mall, offices, 1,400 homes and a hotel. The towers reach 354.5 metres to the tip, with 79 floors above ground. It replaced an old passenger terminal and hotel and the Three Gorges Hotel, which was demolished on 30 August 2012. Building began around 2013, and the structures were done by February 2019.

Sails of trade

Moshe Safdie, who also designed Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, drew inspiration from Chinese sailing ships and meant the towers as a tribute to Chongqing's past as a trading centre. Four towers 250 metres tall carry the Crystal, two 350-metre towers connect to it by cantilever bridges, and two more 250-metre towers stand beside them. The buildings use reinforced concrete with steel columns encased in concrete. The project won the China Tall Building Innovation Award.

Fun facts

'The Crystal', a 300 m horizontal skyscraper, rests on top of four of its towers.
The Crystal is the highest skybridge linking the most towers.
Its designer also created Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
It is made of about 3,000 glass panels and nearly 5,000 aluminium panels.
Two of its eight towers reach 350 metres and link to the Crystal by cantilever bridges.