A One-Kilometer Walkway Will Take Us to the Top of the World

Presented on the 20th of June, 2024, the project is promoted by the Skywalk 1000 association and designed by architect Filippo Broggini in collaboration with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

To achieve this thousand-meter leap, we must push beyond in terms of formal and design approaches, materials and technologies, and knowledge and financing models. This project, a single-span alpine walkway one kilometer long, is set to become a global benchmark. Designed to connect the two sides of the Lumino Valley traversed by the Riale Grande, the structure aims to better integrate the extensive existing trail network, which will require minimal completion, with the mountainous regions of Ticino and Grisons under the shadow of Pizzo di Claro and Piz de Molinera, between the Riviera, lower Mesolcina, and Calanca valleys. The walkway offers a horizontal solution that could only be possible in the valley bottom or high altitude to unite these regions and their realities.

An extraordinary feat of engineering and construction: consider that the Sementina Tibetan bridge is a quarter of the length (240 meters) and has half the drop compared to the 289 meters planned here, and that the one also in the design phase at Ritom will be 413 meters long with a drop of 160 meters.

“Record destined to rewrite the place”

The project was presented on June 20, 2024, at the BancaStato auditorium in Bellinzona, where designers, partners, authorities, potential funders, and supporters gathered. Described as a “chorographic walkway,” it has the capacity to “rewrite the place in its geographical, physical, geological, and anthropic aspects.” The promoter is the Skywalk 1000 association, based in Lumino, supported by a multidisciplinary team led by engineer Patrizio Ghidossi (president and originator of the initial idea that evolved into this project), alongside several prominent personalities from Ticino and Moesano.

The project’s main developer is architect Filippo Broggini from Bellinzona, owner of Blue Office Architecture, which collaborates closely with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), particularly with Professor Thomas Keller, a specialist in composite materials. The presentation also featured contributions from Parisian philosopher David Zerbib and Floriano Righetti, Executive Board Member and Co-Owner of XdRiP Digital Management LLC.

“From Mini to Maxi”

Architect Filippo Broggini was awarded the national Flâneur d’or prize in 2014 (destined for pedestrian works and presented to the Municipality of Lumino, where Ghidossi was then deputy mayor) for the 16-meter ‘Lumino Bridge’ walkway over the same Riale Grande. Ten years later, a project 60 times longer, a thousand meters higher (at an altitude of 1,243 meters above sea level), and suspended between the Monti di Vatiscio and the arrival of the cable car that connects Lumino to the Monti di Saurù, is being planned. The team, with BancaStato as a supporting partner, will also coordinate the fundraising efforts.

“Supported in the void by 47 arches”

For lightness, mechanical quality, and resistance to time and environmental degradation, carbon fiber was chosen for the arches, the deck framework, and the walking boards. Other parts will be made of fiberglass. The 47 highly efficient static arch modules, independent from one another and featuring an attractive design, will be suspended from upper main metal cables and horizontally stabilized by lower horizontal cables. These cables will be anchored to the two respective sides of the mountain. The modular composition will facilitate efficient and economical construction capable of bearing the weight of the structure itself, users, and snow (which alone accounts for more than half of the theoretical load the structure must withstand based on proper static sizing), as well as multidirectional wind stresses. Additionally, the lighter weight compared to steel will ease the transport of materials to high altitudes and various positioning phases – first the installation cable, then the ropes, the parapet net, and finally the preassembled bent arch modules on the ground – via helicopter flights. The thousand-meter line will also be clearly visible at night, from Bellinzona and lower Mesolcina, thanks to careful lighting.

“Destined to enhance the region”

As happened with the Sementina Tibetan bridge, inaugurated in 2015 and immediately proving to be a significant attraction for hikers and tourists, and as is aimed for with the similar suspended bridge planned at Ritom, projects like this are destined to exponentially increase the attractiveness of the area, far beyond cantonal and national borders. “The tourist appeal will be significant,” explains the Skywalk 1000 association, “and will allow us to further extend and enrich the notoriety of our territory. The hospitality and restaurant sectors, seeing the opportunities, will expand their offerings and benefit from the new demand, providing travelers with a fantastic experience.” Thus, there is certainty that local entities “will reap much more than mere image benefits. They will be custodians of a continually growing legacy.”

In the future, “they will be able to promote new projects to enhance the territory and emphasize existing ones.” The economic impact generated by tourist flows “will produce a positive return on the territory in terms of financial and human resources.” In this sense, the development of collateral works adding further offerings is envisioned. Directly affected are the Val Calanca regional park, the Brogoldone hut, the Pizzo di Claro cable car, the Claro, Lumino, Buseno, and San Vittore mountains with their alpine pastures. Ultimately, the walkway is destined to “represent much more than just an infrastructure: it is an opportunity for our community to distinguish itself with its creativity, aiming to attract international attention and offer an unforgettable experience.”

At this stage, the association intends to gauge the interest of municipalities, patriziati, and stakeholders involved in territorial development to refine the design, submit the construction application, and promote the fundraising campaign. The cost estimate of the project, which will be in line with the other mentioned projects, will emerge from the next design phase, which will need to detail all the technical, construction, and assembly aspects.

“Participate in the Success and Share in the Proceeds”

One of the funding methods envisioned by the team, we are told, is through so-called ‘decentralized finance,’ where anyone can contribute and support the project’s goals. The Skywalk 1000 association, in collaboration with the asset management company XdRiP Digital Management LLC, has developed and tested an approach it considers revolutionary, in addition to the traditional funding systems that will be locally implemented.

“Unlike conventional models where contributions are often one-way, here we want to ensure that contributors are part of a financially sustainable model. A digital platform will transform them into ‘original founders’ of the project, offering them digital rights to participate in the ongoing success and community of Skywalk 1000 once it is operational. This creates a dynamic and continuous engagement.”

One of the main advantages of this model, the association emphasizes, is its global reach: “This means that people from all over the world can easily contribute to the project and share in its development, promoting a sense of community and international collaboration. A secondary goal of this method is to leverage emerging technologies so that important projects can be architecturally and financially sustainable, paving the way for future initiatives that aim to blend extraordinary engineering feats with innovative financial models.”