Crystal Crossing

The world's first glass bridge is to be built in Venice. The bridge, which was first proposed over a decade ago by Luciano Vistosi, a prominent artist from the Venetian glassmaking island of Murano, is to be built in place of the wooden Ponte Arsenale in the old ship-building district. The 35m structure will be made of slabs of glass each weighing more than two tonnes. The only metal components will be screws and bolts. The scheme has the support of the city council and James Sherwood the chairman of the multi-national Sea Containers Group which has interests in Venice. Vistosi is currently working on a 6m scale model to prove the validity of the design.