Tourists visiting Tower Bridge can see a unique view of the bridge mechanism and road below through two new glass walkway floors 42m above the River Thames. Glasssolutions won the £250,000 contract to design and manufacture the (one-way) glass, which has been inserted into the floor of each of the two 11.4m long walkways on the Grade I listed building. The existing floors were removed and a steel frame was installed into which the new 80mm-thick glass floor panels, comprising seven layers of glass capable of withstanding the weight of six elephants, were inserted. The glass specification was developed to accommodate major external forces such as wind loading and the potential impact should a passing vessel strike the walkways. Equally important through was consideration of internal impacts on the glass floors and how to design a way to easily repair any damage that results from the heavy footfall of 600,000 visitors per year. The solution developed by Glasssolutions was to incorporate a top sacrificial layer of glass into the panels. This can be replaced quickly and easily should damage occur - including the minor scratches and scuff marks that are inevitable over time - without affecting the structural integrity of the floor.
