Project location：
Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Glass Configuration:
15mm + 1.52SGP + 15mm + 1.52SGP + 15mm + 1.52SGP + 15mm + 1.52SGP +15mm Ultra-clear tempered laminated glass 10mm + 2.28SGP + 10mm + 20AR + 10mm + 2.28SGP + 10mm Ultra-clear curved tempered laminated insulated glass
Maximum Glass Size:
Glass rib: 12,190mm (L) × 400mm (H) Panel: 11,900mm (L) × 2,280mm (H) 450mm*9000mm
At Zhongbo Glass, we are driven by the challenge of making transparent architecture appear weightless. The Chengdu Science and Technology Museum is a futuristic landmark that embodies innovation, discovery, and the pursuit of the impossible. Its design called for a fully glazed envelope supported by ultra-slender glass fins, with sweeping curved vision panels that dissolve the boundary between the museum’s interactive exhibits and the surrounding city. We were selected as the sole glass manufacturer to engineer and deliver this technically extreme glazing package.
Our scope included two of the most demanding glass configurations ever produced: five-ply SGP laminated structural glass ribs stretching up to 12,190mm in length with a remarkably narrow width of just 400mm, and jumbo curved SGP laminated insulated glass units (IGUs) spanning an incredible 11,900mm in length with a 20mm argon-filled cavity. For Zhongbo Glass, this project represents the absolute frontier of structural and curved glass manufacturing. It proves that no rib is too slender, no curve too long, and no lamination too complex for our integrated super-jumbo production platform.
To meet the museum’s dual needs of structural transparency and high-performance climate control, we fabricated two advanced glass make-ups.
15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 1.52mm SentryGlas® Plus (SGP) + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 1.52mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 1.52mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 1.52mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered — Fully Laminated
This is structural glass at its most refined. Five plies of 15mm low-iron tempered glass are bonded with four SGP interlayers to create a monolithic rib over 81mm thick. Despite its immense thickness, the rib’s slenderness — only 400mm or 450mm wide at lengths exceeding 12 meters — creates an almost invisible vertical support, maximizing unobstructed views. The SGP interlayers provide five times the tear strength of PVB, ensuring the rib remains load-bearing even in the unlikely event of all glass plies fracturing. These ribs are the backbone of the museum’s transparent facade, shouldering wind and structural loads with glass alone.
10mm Ultra-Clear Curved Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 10mm Ultra-Clear Curved Tempered / 20mm Argon Cavity / 10mm Ultra-Clear Curved Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 10mm Ultra-Clear Curved Tempered — Curved Laminated Insulated Glass Unit
The vision panels form a sweeping, curved glass skin between the ribs. The outer and inner laminated panels each consist of two 10mm curved tempered plies bonded with 2.28mm SGP, ensuring safety and post-breakage integrity. The 20mm argon-filled cavity, combined with the thermal mass of the SGP laminates, provides outstanding insulation for Chengdu’s climate. A high-performance Low-E coating on the cavity-facing surface further enhances energy efficiency without compromising the brilliant transparency of the ultra-clear glass.
Both configurations use premium low-iron ultra-clear glass, guaranteeing absolutely neutral color rendering and maximum daylight transmission — vital for a museum where interactive exhibits and digital displays must be seen in their truest colors.
The dimensions achieved for the Chengdu Science and Technology Museum place it among the most challenging glass projects ever completed:
Structural Glass Rib Type A: 12,190mm in length × 400mm in height — a 12.19-meter-tall glass fin with an aspect ratio exceeding 1:30, weighing several tonnes yet appearing as thin as a credit card.
Structural Glass Rib Type B:9,000mm in length × 450mm in height — a 9-meter variant used in secondary support zones, maintaining the same five-ply, 81mm-thick construction.
Curved Vision Panels:11,900mm in length × 2,280mm in height — a curved IGU of nearly 12 meters long, covering over 27 square meters per panel. This is one of the largest curved laminated insulated glass units ever produced.
At Zhongbo Glass, these are not design studies — they are manufactured, tested, and delivered realities.
Producing a five-ply, four-interlayer SGP laminate exceeding 81mm in total thickness and 12,190mm in length is a world-class feat. The challenges are immense: de-airing the stiff, thick stack, preventing interlayer thinning or glass displacement, and achieving perfect edge-to-edge adhesion. Our process included:
Flawless tempering of each 15mm ply at 12.19 meters on our super-jumbo flat tempering furnace, with uniform surface stress and minimal roller wave.
Class 1 cleanroom layup using precision alignment jigs to position five massive glass sheets and four SGP interlayers without a single dust particle.
Multi-stage vacuum bag de-airing with extended cycles to extract all trapped air from the thick assembly.
A custom autoclave cycle in our massive autoclave, capable of lengths beyond 13 meters, delivering uniform heat and pressure for a bubble-free, fully bonded structural rib with perfect optical clarity.
Fabricating a curved IGU that is 11.9 meters long and 2.28 meters wide requires every curved glass process to perform at its limit. Our approach:
Precision curved tempering of all 10mm plies to an identical radius on our super-jumbo curved tempering furnace, ensuring the outer and inner laminates match perfectly.
SGP lamination of the curved plies in a dedicated curved laminating line, with vacuum bag de-airing and autoclave bonding that preserves the exact curvature and optical clarity.
Argon-filled IGU assembly in a curved IGU station with laser alignment, robotic dual-seal application, and individual testing for argon concentration and dew point. The 20mm argon cavity, sealed with a warm-edge spacer, guarantees long-term thermal performance.
The 12,190mm × 400mm ribs have an extreme 1:30 aspect ratio, making them highly susceptible to bending and twisting during handling. We engineered custom vacuum lifting beams and transport stillages with continuous multi-point support to prevent any deflection or stress during production, loading, and transit.
Delivering such long, heavy, and delicate glass to downtown Chengdu required meticulously planned logistics. We designed bespoke transport frames — vertical stillages for ribs, curved cradles for vision panels — with active vibration monitoring. Air-ride trailers and police-escorted convoys ensured every piece arrived on site in perfect condition, ready for precision installation.
The Chengdu Science and Technology Museum solidifies Zhongbo Glass’s position as the global leader in super-jumbo, multi-configuration architectural glass:
Unmatched Multi-Ply Rib Capability: We are one of the only manufacturers worldwide that can laminate five plies of 15mm glass with SGP at lengths exceeding 12 meters, producing structural fins that push the very limits of glass physics.
World-Leading Curved IGU Production: Our ability to produce curved SGP laminated IGUs up to 11.9 meters long with argon-filled cavities sets a benchmark that few can approach.
Integrated Flat and Curved Super-Jumbo Lines: We house both the largest flat tempering and curved tempering furnaces, enabling seamless production of matching ribs and panels for a unified facade.
Engineering Partnership: From structural calculations and deflection analysis to custom logistics, our engineering team works alongside architects and facade consultants from concept to completion.
Proven Portfolio of Iconic Museums and Institutions: This project joins our distinguished collection including the East Hall of Shanghai Museum (12.4m five-ply ribs), Tianfu Art Museum (curved triple glazing), Sui Tang Grand Canal Museum (9.2m heat-strengthened IGU), and the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge (structural floor panels). Our track record in delivering record-breaking glass for the world’s most important cultural and scientific buildings is unmatched.
The Chengdu Science and Technology Museum now welcomes visitors into a luminous world of discovery, enclosed by glass that redefines the possible. Zhongbo Glass supplied 12,190mm × 400mm five-ply SGP structural glass ribs, 11,900mm × 2,280mm curved SGP laminated insulated glass panels with argon-filled cavities, and 9,000mm × 450mm secondary ribs — a complete structural glazing system of unprecedented scale and precision. This project is a declaration that for Zhongbo Glass, the limits of glass have not been reached. Every new challenge is an invitation to innovate.
Contact Zhongbo Glass today to discuss how our extreme structural ribs, jumbo curved IGUs, and multi-ply laminated glass solutions can bring your next visionary project to life. From science museums to super-tall towers, our team is ready to engineer the transparent future.
