Observation deck

An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed from weather, and a few may include coin-operated telescopes for viewing distant features.

For other uses, see Deck.
Main article: Deck (building)
The Edge at 30 Hudson Yards in Midtown Manhattan, the highest outdoor deck containing optically transparent flooring in the world, looking toward Lower Manhattan, opened in 2020.
View from the Shanghai Tower observation deck.
Visitors on the observation deck of the Skylon Tower, which overlooks Niagara Falls.
The observation deck from the TK Elevator Test Tower, which overlooks Germany's Black Forest and the Alps
Glass balconies attached to the St Eusebius Church in Arnhem, Netherlands.

List of public observation decks
Further information: List of tallest buildings in the world and List of tallest towers in the world
List of public observation decks
Rank Name Completion Date Type City Deck height (m) Total height (m) Notes
1 Shanghai Tower 2015 Skyscraper China Shanghai 562[1] 632 121st floor; decks are also on 118th and 119th floors.
2 Ping An Finance Centre 2017 Skyscraper China Shenzhen 562[1] 599.1 115th floor (opened on February 10, 2018)
3 Burj Khalifa 2010 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Dubai 555 829.8
4 Merdeka 118 2022 Skyscraper Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 510 678.9
5 Canton Tower 2010 Steel Tower China Guangzhou 488 604
6 Lotte World Tower 2017 Skyscraper South Korea Seoul 486 555
Abraj Al Bait 2011 Skyscraper Saudi Arabia Mecca 486 601
8 Shanghai World Financial Center 2008 Skyscraper China Shanghai 474[2] 492.3 100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97
9 Burj Khalifa 2010 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Dubai 452−456 829.8 124th and 125th floors
10 Tokyo Skytree 2012 Steel Tower Japan Tokyo 451.2 634 Three additional observation decks at 340 m, 345 m, and 350 m
11 Taipei 101 2004 Skyscraper Taiwan Taipei 449.2 508.2 The 101st floor indoor/outdoor rooftop observation deck opened to the public on June 14, 2019.[3] Two additional observation decks, outdoor on the 91st-floor and indoor on the 89th floor at 383.2 metres (1,257 ft).
12 CN Tower 1976 Concrete tower Canada Toronto 446.7 553.3 Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor).
13 Willis Tower 1974 Skyscraper United States Chicago 412.7 527.3 103rd floor; it is the highest observation deck (skydeck) and highest skywalk (skydeck glass balconies) in the United States [4][5][6][7]
14 Sky100, International Commerce Centre 2011 Skyscraper China Hong Kong 393 484 100th floor; 360-degree indoor observation deck
15 One World Trade Center 2014 Skyscraper United States New York City 386.6 541.3 Observation deck on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors
16 Landmark 81 2019 Skyscraper Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City 382 461 Observation decks on 79th, 80th and 81st floors
17 Petronas Towers 1998 Skyscraper Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 370 451.9 Observation deck on 86th floor of tower 2; in addition there is the skybridge between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors at 170 m.
18 Empire State Building 1931 Skyscraper United States New York City 369[8] 448.7 102nd floor; additional 86th floor deck (320 m)
19 Iconic Tower 2023 Skyscraper Egypt New Administrative Capital 368 394 Observations on 76th, 77th and 80th floors
20 Lakhta Center 2021 Skyscraper Russia Saint Petersburg 357 462 Observations on 84th, 85th 86th and 87th floors
21 Oriental Pearl Tower 1994 Concrete tower China Shanghai 351 467.9 15 observation levels, the highest one being outdoors
22 The Strat 1996 Concrete Tower United States Paradise 350 350.2 Tallest observation tower in the U.S.
23 Tuntex Sky Tower 1997 Skyscraper Taiwan Kaohsiung 341 347.5 74th floor
24 Jin Mao Tower 1998 Skyscraper China Shanghai 340.1 420.5 88th floor
24 30 Hudson Yards 2020 Skyscraper United States New York City 340 387 Observations on 100th and 101nd floors
Ostankino Tower 1967 Concrete tower Russia Moscow 340 540.1 Indoor deck is at 337 m
25 John Hancock Center 1969 Skyscraper United States Chicago 313.8 343.5 94th floor
26 Milad Tower 2007 Concrete tower Iran Tehran 312 435 Top level
27 China World Trade Center Tower III 2010 Skyscraper China Beijing 311.8 330 81st floor
28 One Vanderbilt 2021 Skyscraper United States New York City 310.9 427 Observations deck on 62nd and 63rd floors
29 Shun Hing Square 1996 Skyscraper China Shenzhen 298.1 384
30 US Bank Tower 1989 Skyscraper United States Los Angeles 297 310 69th (indoor and outdoor observation) and 70th floors (skyslide and events) CLOSED
31 Kingdom Centre 2002 Skyscraper Saudi Arabia Riyadh 290 302 41st floor
32 Abeno Harukas 2014 Skyscraper Japan Osaka 288 300 58th–60th floor (top floor)
33 Zifeng Tower 2010 Skyscraper China Nanjing 287 450
34 Eureka Tower 2007 Skyscraper Australia Melbourne 285 297.3 Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m
35 King Power MahaNakhon 2018 Skyscraper Thailand Bangkok 281.6 314 Observation deck on 74th, 76th and 78th floors
Etihad Towers (Tower 2) 2011 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 281.6 305.3 Observation deck at 300 is located on 75th floor
36 Eiffel Tower 1889 Wrought iron lattice tower France Paris 276.1 330 3rd floor
37 Menara Kuala Lumpur 1996 Concrete tower Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 276 421
38 Columbia Center 1985 Skyscraper United States Seattle 275 284 73rd floor
39 Yokohama Landmark 1993 Skyscraper Japan Yokohama 273 296 69th floor
40 One Liberty Place 1987 Skyscraper United States Philadelphia 269 288 57th floor
41 Bank of America Plaza (Dallas) 1985 Skyscraper United States Dallas 268.4 281 71st floor; additional on 70th floor at 264.6 metres (868 ft).
42 JPMorgan Chase Tower 1982 Skyscraper United States Houston 268.2 305.4 60th floor
43 Sydney Tower 1981 Steel Tower Australia Sydney 268 309 Main indoor observation deck; outdoor skywalk attraction on roof is located at 279 meters
44 Gran Torre Santiago 2013 Skyscraper Chile Santiago 261 300 Observation deck named Sky Costanera is located on floors 61 and 62
45 GE Building 1933 Skyscraper United States New York City 259.1 259.1 70th floor ("Top of the Rock")
46 Tianjin Tower 1991 Concrete tower China Tianjin 257 415.2
47 40 Wall Street 1929 Skyscraper United States New York City 255 283
48 Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building 1995 Skyscraper Japan Osaka 252 256
49 Etihad Towers (Tower 1) 2011 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 251.2 277.6 [9]
50 63 Building 1985 Skyscraper South Korea Seoul 249 250 60th floor
51 Midland Square 2007 Skyscraper Japan Nagoya 247 247 47th floor
52 Lotus Tower 2019 Concrete tower Sri Lanka Colombo 245 356
53 The Shard 2013 Skyscraper United Kingdom London 244.8 306 72nd floor
54 Central Radio & TV Tower 1992 Concrete tower China Beijing 238 405
55 Sunshine 60 1978 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 237.6 239.8
56 Federation Tower (Tower West) 2008 Skyscraper Russia Moscow 235[10] 252 62nd floor
57 TK Elevator Test Tower 2017 Concrete tower Germany Rottweil 232[11] 246 30th floor (indoor and outdoor)
58 Q1 2005 Skyscraper Australia Gold Coast 230 323 77th floor (SkyPoint), with the function hall on the 78th
West Pearl Tower 2006 Concrete tower China Chengdu 230 339
Varso Tower 2023 Skyscraper Poland Warsaw 230 310 50th and 53rd floor
59 Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 2003 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 229.3 238 52nd floor (indoor) and 54th floor (roof-deck)
60 Taipei Nan Shan Plaza 2018 Skyscraper Taiwan Taipei 228.5 272 46th floor (indoor)
61 Europaturm 1979 Concrete tower Germany Frankfurt 227 337.5 Since 1999, the Europaturm has been closed to the public
62 Tokyo Tower 1958 Steel truss tower Japan Tokyo 223.5 332.6 6th floor
63 Macau Tower 2001 Concrete tower China Macau 223 338
64 Sky Tower 1997 Concrete tower New Zealand Auckland 220 328 Skydeck observation deck on 60th floor
65 Tour Montparnasse 1972 Skyscraper France Paris 209 209
66 Fernsehturm Berlin 1969 Concrete tower Germany Berlin 207 368
67 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 1990 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 202 243.4
68 Main Tower 1999 Skyscraper Germany Frankfurt 200 240
Marina Bay Sands 2010 Skyscraper Singapore Singapore 200 200
70 Olympiaturm 1968 Concrete tower Germany Munich 192 291
71 Mohammed VI Tower 2023 Skyscraper Morocco Salé 190 250 Observation deck on 54th and 55th floor
72 Vysotsky 2011 Skyscraper Russia Yekaterinburg 186 188.3 Observation deck was opened on 3 May 2012[12]
73 Bitexco Financial Tower 2010 Skyscraper Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City 181 262.5 47th floor
74 Tower of the Americas 1968 Concrete tower United States San Antonio 176 229
75 Rheinturm 1979 Concrete tower Germany Düsseldorf 170 240.5
Umeda Sky Building 1993 Skyscraper Japan Osaka 170 173
Tallinn TV Tower 1980 Tower Estonia Tallinn 170 314
76 Donauturm 1964 Concrete tower Austria Vienna 169.4 252
77 N Seoul Tower 1975 Steel tower South Korea Seoul 168.3 236.7 Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain
78 Vilnius TV Tower 1980 Tower Lithuania Vilnius 165 326.5
79 Space Needle 1962 Steel tower United States Seattle 158.5 184.4
80 Calgary Tower 1968 Concrete tower Canada Calgary 157.5 190.8
81 Fernsehturm Stuttgart 1956 Concrete tower Germany Stuttgart 153 216.6
Çamlıca Tower 2020 Concrete tower Turkey Istanbul 153 369
82 Avala Tower 2009 Concrete tower Serbia Belgrade 135 204.5
83 Fukuoka Tower 1989 Tower Japan Fukuoka 123 234
84 Kuwait viewing sphere 1979 Concrete tower Kuwait Kuwait City 120 187 (1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public)
85 Palace of Culture and Science 1955 Multi-function Poland Warsaw 114 237 Observation deck on 30th floor
86 Spinnaker Tower 2005 Tower United Kingdom Portsmouth 110 170
87 Millennium Center 2 office tower restaurant 2016 Skyscraper Bulgaria Sofia 105 108
88 Kyoto Tower 1964 Tower Japan Kyoto 100 131
Nagoya TV Tower 1954 Tower Japan Nagoya 100 180
89 Tashkent Tower 1985 Tower Uzbekistan Tashkent 97 375
90 Snezhanka Tower, Pamporovo, Bulgaria 1978 Concrete tower Bulgaria Pamporovo 93 156
91 Kobe Port Tower 1963 Tower Japan Kobe 90.8 108
92 Sapporo TV Tower 1957 Tower Japan Sapporo 90 147.2
93 Tsūtenkaku 1956 Tower Japan Osaka 87.5 108
94 Nebraska State Capitol 1930 Skyscraper United States Lincoln 75 120 14th floor

List of highest observation decks by type
Type Name and Location Constructed Height Notes
Observation Skywalk over vertical cliff free drop ”Step into the Void” glass skywalk, Aiguille du Midi peak, The Alps, France[13][14] 2013 1,035 m (3,396 ft)
Observation deck inside a spire Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[1] 2023 566 m (1,857 ft)
Enclosed observation deck on high-rise building Shanghai Tower, Shanghai and Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China [1] 2015 and 2017 562 m (1,844 ft)
Outdoor observation deck on high-rise building Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE[1] 2014 555.7 m (1,823 ft)
Skywalk over (artificial) waterfall free drop Sky Corridor Waterfall Walkway, Huangteng Gorge, Guangdong, China [15] 2018 500 m (1,640 ft)
Observation deck on tower[1] Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China 2011 488 m (1,601 ft)
Skywalk over high-rise building Skydeck (The Ledge) observation deck glass balconies, Willis Tower, Chicago, USA [1] 2009 412.4 m (1,353 ft)
Skywalk over bridge Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, Zhangjiajie, China [16] 2016 300 m (984 ft)
Skywalk over glacier Glacier Skywalk, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada [17] 2014 280 m (919 ft)

Timeline of world's highest observation decks

This is a timeline of the development of world's highest observation decks since the inauguration of the Washington Monument in 1885.

Held record Name and Location Constructed Height of highest observation deck Notes
From To
1885 1889 Washington Monument, Washington D.C., United States 1889 152.3 m (500 ft) Was the world's tallest structure when completed.
1889 1931 Eiffel Tower, Paris, France 1889 275 m (902 ft) Two further observation decks 57 & 115 m.
1931 1973 Empire State Building, New York City, United States 1931 369 m (1,211 ft)[8] A second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 metres above ground.
1973 1974 World Trade Center, New York City, United States (article) 1973 399.4 m (1,310 ft) Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Indoor observation deck on the 107th floor of South Tower opened on April 4, 1973. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
1974 1975 Sears Tower (since renamed Willis Tower), Chicago, United States 1974 412.4 m (1,353 ft) Measured from the Franklin Street entrance, 103rd floor observation deck opened on June 22, 1974
1975 1976 World Trade Center, New York City, United States (article) 1973 419.7 m (1,377 ft) Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Outdoor observation deck on rooftop of the South Tower opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
1976 2004 CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 1976 446.5 m (1,465 ft) Two further observation decks 342 and 346 metres above ground.
2004 2008 Taipei 101, Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan) 2004 449.2 m (1,474 ft) Two other observation decks are at 392 m (1,286 ft) (91st-floor outdoor observation deck) and 383 m (1,257 ft) (89th-floor indoor observation deck).
2008 2011 Shanghai World Financial Centre, Shanghai, People's Republic of China 2008 474 m (1,555 ft) Other observation decks are at 423 m (1,388 ft) and 439 m (1,440 ft).
2011 2014 Canton Tower, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China 2011 488 m (1,601 ft) The outdoor rooftop observation deck opened in December 2011. There are also several other indoor observation decks in the tower, the highest at 433.2 m (1,421 ft).
2014 2016 Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE 2010 555.7 m (1,821 ft) Opened on October 15, 2014, on the 148th floor. There is another observation deck at 452.1 m (1,483 ft) on the 124th floor, which has been open since the building was opened to the public.
2016 Present Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China 2015 562.1 m (1,844 ft) Opened on July 1, 2016. there are also 2 more observation decks on the 118th and 119th floor, at 546 and 552 meters respectively.

Under construction

Approved

See also List of tallest buildings and structures in the world#World's highest observation deck

See also

References
  1. ctbuh. "World's Highest Observation Decks". www.ctbuh.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
  2. "Shanghai World Financial Center -SWFC- | Official site of Shanghai Financial Center". www.swfc-shanghai.com. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  3. "Taipei 101 to open top floor to public for the first time". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
  4. "Sears Tower unveils 103rd floor glass balconies", USA Today, July 1, 2009
  5. "The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011. SOM.com Project Page
  6. BJ Lutz (May 30, 2014). "Coating on Willis Tower Skydeck's Ledge Cracks Under Tourists". Nbcchicago.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  7. Sophie Lewis (June 12, 2019). "Protective layer of Willis Tower's SkyDeck cracks under visitors' feet". cbsnews. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  8. "The Empire State Building". Wired New York. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  9. "Etihad Towers T1 - The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013.
  10. "Смотровая площадка Башня Федерация".
  11. "thyssenkrupp Elevator". TK Elevator (in German). Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  12. "Открытие смотровой площадки в БЦ "Высоцкий"".
  13. "Aiguille du Midi : Inauguration nouvelle attraction le Tube". June 2016.
  14. Coldwell, Will (19 December 2013). "Step into the Void: The glass skywalk at the top of the French Alps – in pictures". The Guardian.
  15. "Visit Guangdong's Highest Sky Corridor Waterfall Walkway in China | the Asian Magazine".
  16. "World's tallest and longest glass bridge closes after just two weeks". Dezeen. 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  17. "Jasper National Park Glacier Skywalk Travel Information".
  18. China has banned the construction of skyscrapers in 2021.
  19. Watch the livestream to the Merdeka 118 Tower Spire Completion Ceremony here!, retrieved 2021-12-04
  20. "Millennium-Tower: So grün wird Frankfurts neuer Rekord-Wolkenkratzer". Top Magazin Frankfurt (in German). 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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