Project location：
Xian，Shanxi Province
Glass Configuration:
15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm ultra-clear tempered laminated glass
15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm + 2.28SGP + 15mm ultra-clear tempered laminated glass 12mm + 2.28 PVB + 12mm LOW-E + 16A + 12mm + 2.28 PVB + 12mm ultra-clear LOW-E tempered laminated insulating glass
Maximum Glass Size:
450mm * 9000mm
At Zhongbo Glass, we are driven to engineer glass solutions for the most ambitious architectural landmarks. The Xi’an Silk Road International Convention and Exhibition Center is a monumental complex that embodies the city’s historic role as the gateway to the Silk Road, reimagined with cutting-edge modern design. This world-class venue required a glass facade that is simultaneously a transparent envelope, a structural support system, and a symbol of openness and innovation.
We were selected as the exclusive glass manufacturer to deliver three distinct, highly demanding glass configurations for this project. Our scope included massive five-ply and four-ply SentryGlas® Plus (SGP) laminated structural glass fins that function as vertical load-bearing mullions, and high-performance PVB laminated insulating glass units (IGUs) for the facade’s vision areas. All panels share a common, extreme length of 9,000mm, with a slender width of just 450mm. This 9-meter-tall glass, with an astonishing 1:20 aspect ratio, pushed every facet of our structural glass manufacturing to its limit. The Convention Center now stands as a testament to our ability to produce multi-configuration, super-slender jumbo glass under one roof.
To meet the varied structural, thermal, and safety requirements across the building envelope, we fabricated three specialized glass make-ups, all sharing the same ultra-clear, tempered DNA.
15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered — Fully Laminated
This is structural glass at its most formidable. Five plies of 15mm tempered low-iron glass are bonded with four layers of 2.28mm SGP, creating a monolithic glass fin over 84mm thick. This enormous structural element bears significant wind and facade loads, acting as a transparent mullion that supports the adjacent insulated glass panels while maintaining an unobstructed view.
15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm SGP + 15mm Ultra-Clear Tempered — Fully Laminated
With four plies of 15mm glass and three SGP interlayers, this over 66mm-thick laminate provides robust structural support in secondary fin locations. It offers a slightly lighter profile while still delivering the post-breakage integrity and stiffness that SGP laminates are renowned for.
12mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm PVB + 12mm Ultra-Clear Low-E Tempered / 16mm Air Cavity / 12mm Ultra-Clear Tempered + 2.28mm PVB + 12mm Ultra-Clear Tempered — Laminated Insulating Glass
For the thermal envelope between the glass fins, we supplied a high-performance IGU. Both the outer and inner panels are PVB-laminated for safety and acoustic performance, with a Low-E coating on the #3 surface to control solar heat gain. The 16mm air cavity ensures excellent thermal insulation for Xi’an’s continental climate.
All configurations use premium ultra-clear (low-iron) glass, ensuring a bright, neutral transparency worthy of a landmark convention center.
The defining dimension for all configurations was a maximum panel size of 450mm in width by 9,000mm in height. This extreme 1:20 aspect ratio transforms each panel into a towering, slender ribbon of glass. Whether a 84mm-thick structural fin or a 35mm-thick IGU, the 9-meter length demands flawless straightness, uniform tempering, and perfect lamination from edge to edge. A single five-ply fin weighs hundreds of kilograms and must be handled, transported, and installed with surgical precision. At Zhongbo Glass, 9-meter panels are within our super-jumbo capability, and producing them in multi-ply thicknesses is a hallmark of our expertise.
Laminating five or four 15mm thick plies with multiple stiff SGP interlayers over a 9-meter length is an extreme test of our cleanroom, de-airing, and autoclave technology. The thick glass stacks trap air easily, and any particle contamination could become a critical flaw. Our process for the structural fins included:
Class 1 cleanroom layup to eliminate dust between plies.
Multi-stage vacuum bag de-airing with extended cycles to extract all air from the thick, rigid stacks.
Custom high-pressure autoclave cycles in our massive autoclave, delivering uniform heat and pressure across the entire 9-meter length to achieve complete edge-to-edge SGP adhesion without glass displacement or interlayer thinning.
The resulting fins are bubble-free, crystal-clear, and behave as a single structural element with redundancy built into every layer.
Each 15mm ply for the fins had to be tempered to full surface compression (≥69 MPa) with minimal bow and roller wave. Our super-jumbo flat tempering furnace, capable of lengths beyond 13,000mm, was calibrated with proprietary low-iron glass recipes to produce perfectly flat, uniformly stressed plies. Consistency across all plies was critical — any mismatch would cause lamination failure in such a thick stack.
The 9-meter fins are point-fixed or inserted into steel shoes along their edges. This requires absolute dimensional accuracy and pristine edge quality. Our CNC edge-working centers precision-ground and polished every edge to a high-luster finish, removing all micro-cracks. The edges were inspected to ensure they could handle the concentrated bearing stresses transferred from the building structure.
For Configuration C, we assembled a 9-meter tall insulating glass unit with a consistent 16mm cavity. The narrow width made alignment challenging; any twisting would compromise the perimeter seal. We used synchronized vacuum lifters, laser guides, and robotic dual-seal application to produce hermetically sealed IGUs that passed stringent dew-point and durability testing.
Transporting slender, heavy 9-meter glass panels — some over 84mm thick — from our Henan factory to Xi’an required bespoke logistics. We designed custom vertical transport stillages with continuous support to prevent bending or vibration damage. Air-ride trailers with active monitoring, combined with carefully planned routes, ensured every panel arrived on site in flawless condition, ready for precision installation.
The Xi’an Silk Road International Convention and Exhibition Center showcases the full spectrum of Zhongbo Glass’s capabilities:
Multi-Ply SGP Structural Glass Leadership: We are one of the very few manufacturers globally that can produce five-ply and four-ply SGP laminates at 9,000mm length, with total thicknesses exceeding 84mm. Our autoclave and cleanroom infrastructure are purpose-built for this category of structural glass.
Combined Fin and Facade Supply: We supplied both the load-bearing glass fins and the vision IGUs for a single project, ensuring perfect material matching and seamless aesthetic integration. This single-source approach reduces risk and simplifies logistics for complex facade systems.
Extreme Aspect Ratio Expertise: The 1:20 aspect ratio (450mm x 9,000mm) is beyond the capability of most glass processors. Our handling, cutting, tempering, and laminating systems are engineered to maintain precision for the tallest and slimmest panels.
Ultra-Clear Consistency: All glass plies, whether 12mm or 15mm, are premium low-iron glass, guaranteeing a neutral, crystal-clear appearance across fins and vision panels alike.
Proven Landmark Portfolio: This convention center joins our elite collection of structural glass projects, including the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, the Huajiang Bridge, Longli River Bridge, the 12-meter Banyan Tree fins, and the 13.5-meter Huawei R&D Center panels. Our track record across bridges, facades, and structural fins is unmatched.
The Xi’an Silk Road International Convention and Exhibition Center now greets the world with a facade that seamlessly blends structural transparency with thermal performance — all made possible by Zhongbo Glass. We delivered 9,000mm × 450mm glass panels in three configurations: five-ply SGP structural fins up to 84mm thick, four-ply SGP fins, and PVB laminated insulating glass units. This project proves that when architecture demands the ultimate in structural glass length, slenderness, and multi-ply integrity, Zhongbo Glass is the definitive manufacturing partner.
Contact Zhongbo Glass today to discuss your next structural glass or facade project. From glass fins and beams to jumbo IGUs and multi-ply laminates, our engineering team is ready to partner with you from concept through to installation.
