Observation deck

For other uses, see Deck.

Observation deck

The 1793 Puente Nuevo bridge allows viewing from 120 m above the floor of El Tajo canyon.

Main article: Deck (building)

The 10 m observation deck of Ronda, Spain, overlooks the Depression of Ronda plain over 100 m below.

A multi-level tree house in Cape Town, South Africa, with an observation deck on top

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. Fitted with railings or fencing for safety, observation decks are sometimes enclosed from weather, as many skyscraper decks, and may include coin operated telescopes for viewing distant features.

List of public observation decks

Further information: List of tallest buildings in the world and List of tallest towers in the world

Notable public observation decks include the following:

List of public observation decks

	Name	Built	Type	Location (sorts by nation)	Deck ht (m)	Total ht(m)	Notes
1	Canton Tower	2011	Steel Tower	PRC !Guangzhou	&10000000000000488000000488	&10000000000000600000000600	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).
2	Shanghai World Financial Center	2008	Skyscraper	PRC !Shanghai	&10000000000000474000000474	&10000000000000492300000492.3	100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97
3	Burj Khalifa	2010	Skyscraper	UAE !Dubai	&10000000000000452100000452.1	&10000000000000828000000828	124th floor, outdoor ; highest observation deck in the world accessible via a single elevator ride.
4	CN Tower	1976	Concrete tower	CAN !Toronto	&10000000000000446600000446.6	&10000000000000553299999553.3	Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor).
5	Sears Tower (since renamed Willis Tower)	1974	Skyscraper	USA !Chicago	&10000000000000412500000412.5	&10000000000000527299999527.3	103rd floor; highest observation deck in the western hemisphere accessible via a single elevator ride.
6	Sky100, International Commerce Centre	2011	Skyscraper	Hong Kong !Hong Kong	&10000000000000393000000393	&10000000000000484000000484	100th floor 360 degree indoor observatory, it's the highest observation deck in Hong Kong.
7	Taipei 101	2004	Skyscraper	Taiwan !Taipei	&10000000000000391600000391.6	&10000000000000509199999509.2	91st floor's outdoor observatory, it's the previous record of highest outdoor observatory in the world. The 89th floor indoor observatory is 383.2 metres (1,257 ft).
8	Empire State Building	1931	Skyscraper	USA !New York City	&10000000000000369000000369	&10000000000000448699999448.7	102nd floor, additional 86th floor deck (320 m)
9	Oriental Pearl Tower	1994	Concrete tower	PRC !Shanghai	&10000000000000350000000350	&10000000000000468899999468.9	14th floor
10	Jin Mao Tower	1998	Skyscraper	PRC !Shanghai	&10000000000000340100000340.1	&10000000000000421500000421.5
11	Ostankino Tower	1967	Concrete tower	RUS !Moscow	&10000000000000337000000337	&10000000000000540100000540.1
12	John Hancock Center	1969	Skyscraper	USA !Chicago	&10000000000000313800000313.8	&10000000000000343500000343.5
13	Eureka Tower	2007	Skyscraper	AUS !Melbourne	&10000000000000285000000285	&10000000000000297300000297.3	Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m
14	Royal Gorge Bridge	1929	Bridge	USA !Colorado	&10000000000000291000000291	&10000000000000321000000321	spans Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River
15	1-Altitude Gallery, OUB Centre	2010	Skyscraper	SIN !Singapore	&10000000000000280000000280	&10000000000000280000000280	Rooftop gallery opened in 2010 as a part of 1-Altitude establishment
16	Eiffel Tower	1889	Steel truss tower	FRA !Paris	&10000000000000276100000276.1	&10000000000000324000000324	3rd floor
17	Menara Kuala Lumpur	1996	Concrete tower	MAS !Kuala Lumpur	&10000000000000276000000276	&10000000000000421000000421
18	Columbia Center	1985	Skyscraper	USA !Seattle	&10000000000000275000000275	&10000000000000284000000284	73rd floor
19	Yokohama Landmark	1993	Skyscraper	JPN !Yokohama	&10000000000000273000000273	&10000000000000296000000296	69th floor
20	Millau Viaduct	2004	Bridge	FRA !Millau	&10000000000000270000000270	&10000000000000343000000343	270 m clearance
21	JPMorgan Chase Tower	1982	Skyscraper	USA !Houston	&10000000000000268199999268.2	&10000000000000305399999305.4	60th floor
22	Stratosphere Tower	1996	Concrete tower	USA !Las Vegas	&10000000000000266000000266	&10000000000000350199999350.2	9th floor
23	Vajont Dam	1961	Dam	ITA !Erto e Casso	&10000000000000261600000261.6	&10000000000000261600000261.6	"disused"
24	GE Building	1933	Skyscraper	USA !New York City	&10000000000000259100000259.1	&10000000000000259100000259.1	70th floor ("Top of the Rock")
25	Tianjin Tower	1991	Concrete tower	PRC !Tianjin	&10000000000000253000000253	&10000000000000415199999415.2	"observation pod"
26	Sydney Tower	1981	Tower	SUI !Sydney	&10000000000000250000000250	&10000000000000309000000309
27	Mauvoisin Dam	1957	Dam	SUI !Bagnes	&10000000000000250000000250	&10000000000000250000000250	raised 13.5 m in 1991
28	Tokyo Tower	1958	Steel truss tower	JPN !Tokyo	&10000000000000249900000249.9	&10000000000000332600000332.6	6th floor
29	CCTV Tower	1992	Concrete tower	PRC !Beijing	&10000000000000238000000238	&10000000000000386500000386.5
30	Q1	2005	Skyscraper	AUS !Gold Coast	&10000000000000230000000230	&10000000000000323000000323	77th floor (SkyPoint), with the function hall on the 78th
32	Rialto Towers	1986	Office	AUS !Melbourne	&10000000000000225000000225	&10000000000000242300000242.3
33	Sky Tower	1997	Concrete tower	NZ !Auckland	&10000000000000220000000220	&10000000000000328000000328
34	Verzasca Dam	1965	Dam	SUI !Ticino	&10000000000000220000000220	&10000000000000220000000220
35	Mratinje Dam	1975	Dam	MNE !Mratinje	&10000000000000220000000220	&10000000000000220000000220	in Plužine municipality[1]
36	Westin Peachtree	1973	Skyscraper	USA !Atlanta	&10000000000000220000000220	&10000000000000220000000220	73rd floor
37	Prudential Tower	1964	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	&10000000000000213000000213	&10000000000000228000000228	50th floor ("Prudential Skywalk")
38	Detroit Marriott	1977	Skyscraper	USA !Detroit	&10000000000000212300000212.3	&10000000000000221500000221.5	70th floor
39	Tour Montparnasse	1972	Skyscraper	FRA !Paris	&10000000000000209000000209	&10000000000000209000000209
40	Fernsehturm Berlin	1969	Concrete tower	GER !Berlin	&10000000000000203780000203.78	&10000000000000368029999368.03
41	Almendra Dam	1970	Dam	ESP !Almendra	&10000000000000202000000202	&10000000000000202000000202
42	Kölnbrein Dam	1979	Dam	AUT !Malta	&10000000000000200000000200	&10000000000000200000000200
43	Maintower	1999	Skyscraper	GER !Frankfurt	&10000000000000200000000200	&10000000000000240000000240
44	Olympiaturm	1968	Concrete tower	GER !Munich	&10000000000000192000000192	&10000000000000291000000291
45	Gateway Arch	1965	steel/concrete	USA !St Louis	~&10000000000000185000000185	&10000000000000192000000192	[citation needed]
46	Bitexco Financial Tower	2010	Skyscraper	Vietnam !Ho Chi Minh City	&10000000000000181000000181	&10000000000000262500000262.5	47th floor
47	Tower of the Americas	1968	Concrete tower	USA !San Antonio	&10000000000000176000000176.0	&10000000000000229000000229.0
48	Olympic Stadium	1987	Concrete tower	CAN !Montreal	&10000000000000175000000175	&10000000000000175000000175
49	Rheinturm	1982	Concrete tower	GER !Düsseldorf	&10000000000000174500000174.5	&10000000000000240500000240.5
50	Carew Tower	1931	Skyscraper	USA !Cincinnati	&10000000000000171300000171.3	&10000000000000175000000175.0	roof observation deck
51	Reunion Tower	1978	Concrete tower	USA !Dallas	&10000000000000170699999170.7	&10000000000000170699999170.7	Closed for renovations.
52	Petronas Tower	1998	Steel tower	MAS !Kuala Lumpur	&10000000000000170000000170.0	&10000000000000452899999452.9	skybridge between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors
53	Space Needle	1962	Steel tower	USA !Seattle	&10000000000000158500000158.5	&10000000000000184400000184.4
54	Calgary Tower	1968	Concrete tower	CAN !Calgary	&10000000000000157500000157.5	&10000000000000190800000190.8
55	Las Vegas Eiffel Tower	1999	Steel tower	USA !Paradise	&10000000000000140199999140.2	&10000000000000164599999164.6	½ scale (originally to be full-sized)[citation needed]
56	Foshay Tower	1929	Skyscraper	USA !Minneapolis	&10000000000000136199999136.2	&10000000000000185000000185	30th floor
57	Custom House Tower	1915	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	&10000000000000136000000136	&10000000000000151000000151	26th floor
58	Avala Tower	2009	Concrete tower	SRB !Belgrade	&10000000000000135000000135	&10000000000000204500000204.5
59	Kansas City City Hall	1937	Skyscraper	USA !Kansas City	&10000000000000135000000135	&10000000000000151000000151	30th floor
60	Penobscot Observatory	2007	bridge tower	USA !Penobscot R	&10000000000000133000000133	&10000000000000136000000136	3rd level (1st & 2nd levels @ 122 & 128 m)
61	Edifice Marie-Guyart	1972	Skyscraper	CAN !Quebec City	&10000000000000126500000126.5	&10000000000000126500000126.5	31st floor
62	Smith Tower	1914	Skyscraper	USA !Seattle	&10000000000000122000000122	&10000000000000141000000141	35th floor
63	Kuwait viewing sphere	1979	Concrete tower	KWT !Kuwait City	&10000000000000120000000120	&10000000000000187000000187	(1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public)
64	National Monument (Indonesia)	1975	Obelisk Monument	INA !Jakarta	&10000000000000115000000115	&10000000000000132000000132
65	KölnTriangle	2006	Skyscraper	GER !Cologne	&10000000000000103200000103.2	&10000000000000103200000103.2	29th floor
66	Faro de Moncloa	1992	Concrete Tower	ESP !Madrid	&1000000000000009000000090	&10000000000000110000000110
67	Statue of Liberty	1886	Statue	USA !Liberty Island	&1000000000000008000000080	&1000000000000009300000093	crown level (~90 m torch level closed to public in 1916)[2]
68	Liberty Memorial	1926	Concrete tower	USA !Kansas City	&1000000000000006600000066	&1000000000000006600000066
69	Coit Tower	1933	Concrete tower	USA !San Francisco	&1000000000000006400000064	&1000000000000006400000064
70	Mt Washington towers	2000	Steel Structure	USA !Pittsburgh	&1000000000000006600000066	&1000000000000006600000066	towers overlook Downtown Pittsburgh
71	John Hancock Tower	1976	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	&1000000000000006000000060	&10000000000000241000000241	Closed to the public since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

List of highest observation decks by type

Type	Name and Location	Constructed	Height	Notes
Primary observation deck	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2008	452.1 m (1,483 ft)	"Primary observation deck" is defined as an observation deck accessible via one direct elevator ride as opposed to a higher secondary deck requiring another elevator, escalators or stairs to reach.
Enclosed	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China	2008	474 m (1,555 ft)
Outdoor	Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China	2011	488 m (1,601 ft)
On skyscraper	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China	2008	474 m (1,555 ft)
On tower	Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China	2011	488 m (1,601 ft)
Bridge	Royal Gorge Bridge	1929	291 m (955 ft)	Above water level.
Dam	Vajont Dam	1959	262 m (860 ft)	Dependant on weather and whether open to the public.
Demolished	One & Two World Trade Center (article), New York City, USA	1972 & 1973	420 m (1,378 ft)	Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.

Timeline of world's highest observation decks

This is a timeline of the development of world's highest observation decks since inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

Held record		Name and Location	Constructed	Height of highest observation deck	Notes
From	To
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, USA	1931	369 m (1,211 ft)	A second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 metres above ground.
1973	1974	World Trade Center, New York City, USA (article)	1973	399.4 m (1,310 ft)	Indoor observatory 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, USA	1974	412.4 m (1,353 ft)	103rd floor observation deck opened on June 22, 1974. Remained the highest observation deck in the world accessible via a single elevator ride and the highest with public restrooms until the Shanghai World Financial Center opened in 2008.
1975	1976	World Trade Center, New York City, USA (article)	1973	420 m (1,378 ft)	Outdoor observatory on rooftop of the South Tower opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
1976	2008	CN Tower, Toronto, Canada	1976	446.5 m (1,465 ft)	Two further observation decks 342 and 346 metres above ground.
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		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).

• Note: Higher observation decks have existed on mountain peaks or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. For example, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado, USA, was constructed in 1929 spanning the Royal Gorge at a height of 321 m (1,053 ft) above the Arkansas River. See also List of tallest buildings and structures in the world#World's highest observation deck

See also

• Deck (building)