The new Grand Canyon Skywalk, the U-shaped glass bridge
suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River, makes it possible for the first
time for visitors to take in incomparable views of the western edge of the
Grand Canyon. What makes this engineering
marvel possible is the durable and ultra-clear glass that was designed and
produced by Saint-Gobain, the world's leader in glass technology for more than
300 years.
The company's expertise in glass is recognized throughout
the world, evidenced first by its creation in 1682 of the spectacular Hall of
Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in Paris. More recently, Saint-Gobain designed and
manufactured the glass in the "Pyramid" of the Louvre, featured prominently in
the hit movie The Da Vinci Code.
Saint-Gobain – which employs 24,000 people in the
United States, many of them
through its building materials subsidiary CertainTeed – manufactured the
low-iron Diamant glass for the floor of the Skywalk at its Cologne, Germany, plant. It was processed into
laminated glass at three of its European subsidiaries. The deck, approximately
10 feet wide and 70 feet deep, is made of laminated tempered glass more than 2
inches thick, produced in 46 pieces that were shipped directly to the western
edge of the canyon. Each piece of glass is held in place by connectors
specifically designed by Saint-Gobain for the bridge. The floor glass includes
structural interlayers of DuPont SentryGlas Plus for optical clarity and
strength.
According to Roger Watson of Saint-Gobain Glass Exprover,
the business which oversees architectural glass export to nations throughout the
globe, the Diamant glass in the Skywalk contains a significantly lower amount of
iron oxide than regular glass, which means that it is exceptionally clear,
appearing virtually invisible to visitors and giving them a completely
unobstructed view of the natural wonder.
The glass deck is supported by outer and inner steel beams
anchored into solid stone in the wall of the Grand
Canyon. The Skywalk is said to support approximately 100 pounds per
square foot, can withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, and 100 mph
winds.
Headquartered in Paris,
Saint-Gobain has more than 200,000 employees throughout the world, including
24,000 in the U.S. and
Canada. In addition to its leadership
in glass for architectural products, the company is the world's largest supplier
of building materials and is a major manufacturer of abrasives, ceramics, and
other high-performance materials.
Saint-Gobain's North American businesses include CertainTeed
(Valley Forge, Pa.); Saint-Gobain Containers (Muncie, Ind.);
Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics (Louisville,
Ky.); Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics (Niagara Falls, N.Y.);
Saint-Gobain Vetrotex America
(Wichita Falls, Texas); Saint-Gobain Abrasives (Worcester, Mass.); and
Saint-Gobain Glass Exprover (Scottsdale, Ariz).
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