A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclosed or covered footbridges that protect pedestrians from the weather. Here are some of the most impressive skybridges around the world.
Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers or KLCC Twin Towers, are 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at 451.9 metres.
Tencent Global Headquarters
Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands is a luxury hotel, casino, and entertainment complex that features a cantilevered infinity swimming pool spanning three towers inspired by a deck of cards in Singapore.
Sky Habitat
Sky Habitat is a 38-storey complex that focusses on outdoor living, community, landscape and daylight. Three sky gardens link the two buildings to create a series of interconnected streets complete with gardens, terraces, and a swimming pool.
The Crystal
The Crystal skybridge, which connects four 250-metre-tall skyscrapers, has opened as the first stage of Safdie Architects Raffles City Chongqing complex in China. The observatory that cantilevers out from one end is the first part of The Crystal to open to the public. A shopping centre opened in the complex in 2019, and Raffles City Chongqing is due to be finished, in full, by the end of the year.
CCTV Headquarters
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas sought to redefine the traditional form of skyscrapers with the deconstructivist CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China. The 234-metre-tall building’s two towers are connected on their upper floors by a 75-metre-long cantilevered linking element. This produces its distinctive overall shape, described as a “three-dimensional cranked loop”.
American Copper Buildings
The American Copper Buildings are a pair of luxury residential skyscrapers in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The buildings were developed by JDS Development and were designed by SHoP Architects with interiors by SHoP and K&Co.
The Opus by OMNIYAT
Collins Arch
The tapered 164-metre-tall towers of Collins Arch, a mixed-use skyscraper in Melbourne designed by Woods Bagot and SHoP Architects, are linked at the top by an eight-story skybridge.
Linked Hybrid
Linked Hybrid is a building complex built in Beijing, China designed by Steven Holl Architects. It is recognized for its environmental design and uses geo-thermal wells for cooling and heating.
Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea
Trellick Tower
Trellick Tower is 98 meters (322 ft) tall (120 meters (394 ft) including the communications mast) and is a Grade II listed building. The design is based on Ernő Goldfinger’s earlier and slightly smaller Balfron Tower in Poplar, East London. It has a long, thin profile, with a separate lift and service tower linked at every third story to the access corridors in the main building, which overall has 31 floors. Flats above and below the corridor levels have internal stairs, while the 23rd and 24th floors are taken up by maisonettes split over the two floors.
