The public can never get enough of death-defying diversions, from flagpole sitters in the 1920s to today’s ever-crazier rollers coasters. The last two “Mission Impossible” movies—which featured Tom Cruise actually scaling the outside of the Burj Khalifi and hanging onto the wing of a jet in flight—combined did nearly $1.4 billion in box office sales internationally. And one of the attractions of “extreme” sports and recreation is that the participants live to tell about it.
Thrill-seekers who happen to be in Shanghai can now literally live on the edge by dangling off of a safety rope from a 3.9-foot-wide skywalk with a see-through platform that wraps around the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Tower in Lujiazui, a peninsula locality in that metropolis.
The 60-meter (197-foot) skywalk is touted as the highest fenceless and all-transparent walkway in the world. At 1,115 feet above ground, the skywalk, which opened on July 29, provides breathtaking views of the city from a tower that is one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers.
For the equivalent of US$58, visitors can spend up to 60 minutes in the open air, taking in Shanghai's modern cityscape. Image: 163.com via Mashable
Up to 15 visitors at a time can be harnessed to an overhead rail, and hang 10 over the ledge of the Jin Mao walkway for up to an hour. (They must sign waivers as a prerequisite, of course.) The height of the skywalk and time allowed on it outdo Macao Tower Skywalk X, which lets visitors take a 15- to 20-minute open-air stroll around the outer rim of the Macao Tower, 233 meters above the ground, according to China.org.
Skywalkers pay 388 yuan (US$58) for the Jin Mao attraction, with a discounted rate (298 yuan) for students.
An aerial view of the 420.5-meter-tall Jin Mao Tower, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers. Image: BU BIAN/Imagine China/AP
The 402.5-meter-tall Jin Mao Tower, designed by architect Adrian Smith, was completed in 1999, according to the Wall Street Journal. It’s owned by Jinmao Hotel and Jinmao (China) Investments and Mana
Related Stories
Events Facilities | Mar 7, 2016
Experts pessimistic on Chicago’s $650 million McCormick Place expansion
Developers and city officials envision $250 million of annual growth, but the figure assumes that a new arena will lure conventions and draw full houses for basketball games.
Industry Research | Feb 22, 2016
8 of the most interesting trends from Gensler’s Design Forecast 2016
Technology is running wild in Gensler’s 2016 forecast, as things like virtual reality, "smart" buildings and products, and fully connected online and offline worlds are making their presence felt throughout many of the future's top trends.
Game Changers | Feb 5, 2016
Mega surf parks take entertainment to new extremes
Wave-making technologies vie for attention, as surfing is shortlisted for 2020 Olympic Games.
Game Changers | Feb 4, 2016
GAME CHANGERS: 6 projects that rewrite the rules of commercial design and construction
BD+C’s inaugural Game Changers report highlights today’s pacesetting projects, from a prefab high-rise in China to a breakthrough research lab in the Midwest.
Sponsored | Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 3, 2016
New $96.5 million Ole Miss Basketball Arena Opened in January
The recently constructed basketball arena at Ole Miss, The Pavilion, exudes sophistication due to its spectacular curved roof coated with a vibrant Terra Cotta Fluropon.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 29, 2016
Billion-dollar dome in Las Vegas could be the Oakland Raiders next home
The franchise, which is considering relocation if it can’t work out a stadium deal in the Bay Area, is listening to a new stadium pitch from investors in Las Vegas, led by the Sands Corp.
Giants 400 | Jan 29, 2016
SPORTS FACILITIES GIANTS: Populous, AECOM, Turner among top sports sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest sports sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
| Jan 14, 2016
How to succeed with EIFS: exterior insulation and finish systems
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the six elements of an EIFS wall assembly; common EIFS failures and how to prevent them; and EIFS and sustainability.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 13, 2016
Multi-billion-dollar stadium planned as the NFL returns to Los Angeles
The Rams, formerly of St. Louis, will move into a new stadium possibly by 2019—and they might have a co-tenant.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 8, 2016
Washington Redskins hire Bjarke Ingels Group to design new stadium
The Danish firm is short on designing football stadiums, but it has led other impressive large scale projects.