On the evening of July 18, 2022, during daylight saving time in Zurich, Switzerland, the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) announced on its official website the shortlist of nominees for the 2022 IABSE Global Awards for Projects and Technology. Among them, the Pingtang Bridge project designed by our company has successfully made the shortlist for the 2022 IABSE Global Outstanding “Infrastructure Award.” IABSE also sent an email to congratulate us. The Pingtang Bridge project has been shortlisted for the 2022 IABSE Global Awards. Outstanding “ Infrastructure Award The shortlisted projects will be invited to attend the IABSE Awards Gala, scheduled for late November or early December this year in Zurich, Switzerland.
The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), founded in 1929, currently has more than 3,000 members from over 100 countries and regions, making it the international civil engineering association with the largest number of member countries. The association’s mission is to promote international academic exchanges and advance technological progress in bridge and structural engineering across the global industry and society. In 1998, IABSE established the Outstanding Structure Award, which annually recognizes between one and four bridge or structural engineering projects—typically one winner and no more than three finalists—representing cutting-edge technological innovations and engineering achievements in bridges and structures worldwide. Since the award’s inception, a total of seven projects from China have received this honor. IABSE Outstanding Structural Award , respectively: Shanghai Lupu Bridge (Winner, 2008), Sutong Yangtze River Bridge (Finalist, 2010), Tingzhou Island Bridge (Finalist, 2011), Xihoumen Bridge (Finalist, 2012), Taizhou Yangtze River Highway Bridge (Winner, 2014), Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge (Finalist, 2015), Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Winner, 2020).
This year, a total of six high-quality infrastructure projects from around the globe have been shortlisted for the IABSE Outstanding Infrastructure Award. This marks another international recognition for the Pingtang Bridge project, following its receipt in 2021 of the International Bridge Conference (IBC) Gustav Lindenthal Medal and the FIDIC Global Engineering Project Award for Excellence. It fully demonstrates our company’s technical strength in the field of engineering design and consulting, further enhancing our company’s international visibility. This achievement signifies that our company’s engineering design and consulting capabilities have entered the global forefront, laying a solid foundation for further expansion into overseas markets.
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Introduction to the Pingtang Bridge
The Pingtang Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 2 × 550 meters, featuring three towers and a double-cable-plane steel-concrete composite girder. The central tower stands at 332 meters high, making it the world’s tallest concrete bridge tower. Construction of the project commenced on April 29, 2016, and the bridge was completed and opened to traffic on December 31, 2019. During the design phase, in response to the structural requirements of the towers, elements such as the distinctive costumes and dances of the local ethnic minorities were incorporated into the tower’s aesthetic design. Ultimately, the “skirt-like” tower shape was selected, seamlessly integrating with the main girders and cables to create a highly dynamic overall bridge silhouette. During construction, new types of construction equipment were developed, and the innovative technique of longitudinally shifting and rotating entire segments of steel girders for suspended assembly was pioneered worldwide. Additionally, the accompanying “Sky Bridge” sightseeing service area has created hundreds of jobs, providing high-quality travel services to passing travelers while also boosting the economic development of the local ethnic minority regions. The Pingtang Bridge perfectly combines strength and beauty, harmoniously integrating humans, the bridge itself, and the natural environment, and stands as a model masterpiece in the global construction of canyon bridges.
