Travel
10:55, 14-Jan-2019
World's largest 3D-printed footbridge unveiled in Shanghai
Updated
14:24, 21-Jan-2019
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Shanghai has unveiled its latest hi-tech tourist attraction: a 26-meter-long 3D-printed footbridge that is the largest of its kind in the world.
The span, which opened on Saturday, is located across a canal on the Wenzaobang River in Shanghai's Baoshan District.
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo
It resembles the Zhaozhou Bridge, built during the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and still used by pedestrians today. Construction of that bridge began in 595 and took 11 years, while the 3D-printed one took only 450 hours.
The new bridge is more durable and cheaper than any ones built with traditional construction techniques, according to Xu Weiguo, an architecture professor with Tsinghua University, who built the bridge.
Over 100 guests were invited to take a first stroll across the bridge on Saturday.
(Cover: The 3D-printed footbridge in Shanghai. /VCG Photo)