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)

Observation deck at Our Lady of Lebanon shrine overlooking Jounieh, Beirut, and the Mediterranean

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

A observation deck place in Rokko Garden Terrace, Mount Rokko, Kobe, Japan

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	7002488000000000000488	7002600000000000000600	The outdoor rooftop observation deck opened in December 2011. The highest indoor deck is at 448.8 m or 1472 ft.
2	Shanghai World Financial Center	2008	Skyscraper	PRC !Shanghai	7002474000000000000474	7002492300000000000492.3	100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97
3	Burj Khalifa	2010	Skyscraper	UAE !Dubai	7002452100000000000452.1	7002828000000000000828	124th floor, outdoor
4	Tokyo Skytree	2012	Steel Tower	JPN !Tokyo	7002451200000000000451.2	7002634000000000000634	Three additional observation decks at 340 m, 345 m, and 350 m
5	CN Tower	1976	Concrete tower	CAN !Toronto	7002446700000000000446.7	7002553290000099999553.3	Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor).
6	Sears Tower (since renamed Willis Tower)	1974	Skyscraper	USA !Chicago	7002412700000000000412.7	7002527290000099999527.3	103rd floor
7	Sky100, International Commerce Centre	2011	Skyscraper	Hong Kong !Hong Kong	7002393000000000000393	7002484000000000000484	100th floor 360 degree indoor observatory, it's the highest observation deck in Hong Kong.
8	Taipei 101	2004	Skyscraper	Taiwan !Taipei	7002391600000000000391.6	7002509200000000000509.2	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).
9	Petronas Towers	1998	Skyscraper	MAS !Kuala Lumpur	7002370000000000000370	7002452900000000000452.9	Observatory on 86th floor of tower 2, in addition there is the skybridge between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors at 170 meters.
10	Empire State Building	1931	Skyscraper	USA !New York City	7002369000000000000369	7002448700000000000448.7	102nd floor, additional 86th floor deck (320 m)
11	Oriental Pearl Tower	1994	Concrete tower	PRC !Shanghai	7002350000000000000350	7002468900000000000468.9	14th floor
12	Jin Mao Tower	1998	Skyscraper	PRC !Shanghai	7002340100000000000340.1	7002421500000000000421.5
13	Ostankino Tower	1967	Concrete tower	RUS !Moscow	7002337000000000000337	7002540100000000000540.1
14	John Hancock Center	1969	Skyscraper	USA !Chicago	7002313800000000000313.8	7002343500000000000343.5	Observation deck on the 94th floor, also an outside screened in area on same floor. 45 second elevator ride.
15	The Shard	2013	Skyscraper	United Kingdom !London	7002304000000000000304	7002306000000000000306	72th floor Observatory Deck
16	Eureka Tower	2007	Skyscraper	AUS !Melbourne	7002285000000000000285	7002297300000000000297.3	Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m
17	Royal Gorge Bridge	1929	Bridge	USA !Colorado	7002291000000000000291	7002321000000000000321	spans Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River
18	1-Altitude Gallery, OUB Centre	2010	Skyscraper	SIN !Singapore	7002280000000000000280	7002280000000000000280	Rooftop gallery opened in 2010 as a part of 1-Altitude establishment
19	Eiffel Tower	1889	Steel truss tower	FRA !Paris	7002276100000000000276.1	7002324000000000000324	3rd floor
20	Menara Kuala Lumpur	1996	Concrete tower	MAS !Kuala Lumpur	7002276000000000000276	7002421000000000000421
21	Columbia Center	1985	Skyscraper	USA !Seattle	7002275000000000000275	7002284000000000000284	73rd floor
22	Yokohama Landmark	1993	Skyscraper	JPN !Yokohama	7002273000000000000273	7002296000000000000296	69th floor
23	Millau Viaduct	2004	Bridge	FRA !Millau	7002270000000000000270	7002343000000000000343	270 m clearance
24	JPMorgan Chase Tower	1982	Skyscraper	USA !Houston	7002268200000000000268.2	7002305390000000000305.4	60th floor
25	Stratosphere Tower	1996	Concrete tower	USA !Las Vegas	7002266000000000000266	7002350200000000000350.2	9th floor
26	Vajont Dam	1961	Dam	ITA !Erto e Casso	7002261600000000000261.6	7002261600000000000261.6	"disused"
27	GE Building	1933	Skyscraper	USA !New York City	7002259100000000000259.1	7002259100000000000259.1	70th floor ("Top of the Rock")
28	Tianjin Tower	1991	Concrete tower	PRC !Tianjin	7002253000000000000253	7002415200000000000415.2	"observation pod"
29	Sydney Tower	1981	Tower	SUI !Sydney	7002250000000000000250	7002309000000000000309
30	Mauvoisin Dam	1957	Dam	SUI !Bagnes	7002250000000000000250	7002250000000000000250	raised 13.5 m in 1991
30	Tokyo Tower	1958	Steel truss tower	JPN !Tokyo	7002249900000000000249.9	7002332600000000000332.6	6th floor
31	CCTV Tower	1992	Concrete tower	PRC !Beijing	7002238000000000000238	7002386500000000000386.5
32	Istanbul Sapphire	2011	Skyscraper	Turkey !Istanbul	7002236000000000000236	7002261000000000000261	56th Floor open roof
33	Q1	2005	Skyscraper	AUS !Gold Coast	7002230000000000000230	7002323000000000000323	77th floor (SkyPoint), with the function hall on the 78th
34	Rialto Towers	1986	Office	AUS !Melbourne	7002225000000000000225	7002242300000000000242.3
35	Sky Tower	1997	Concrete tower	NZ !Auckland	7002220000000000000220	7002328000000000000328
36	Verzasca Dam	1965	Dam	SUI !Ticino	7002220000000000000220	7002220000000000000220
37	Mratinje Dam	1975	Dam	MNE !Mratinje	7002220000000000000220	7002220000000000000220	in Plužine municipality[1]
38	Westin Peachtree	1973	Skyscraper	USA !Atlanta	7002220000000000000220	7002220000000000000220	73rd floor
39	Prudential Tower	1964	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	7002213000000000000213	7002228000000000000228	50th floor ("Prudential Skywalk")
40	Detroit Marriott	1977	Skyscraper	USA !Detroit	7002212300000000000212.3	7002221500000000000221.5	70th floor
41	Tour Montparnasse	1972	Skyscraper	FRA !Paris	7002209000000000000209	7002209000000000000209
42	Fernsehturm Berlin	1969	Concrete tower	GER !Berlin	7002203780000000000203.78	7002368039999900000368.03
43	Almendra Dam	1970	Dam	ESP !Almendra	7002202000000000000202	7002202000000000000202
44	Kölnbrein Dam	1979	Dam	AUT !Malta	7002200000000000000200	7002200000000000000200
45	Main Tower	1999	Skyscraper	GER !Frankfurt	7002200000000000000200	7002240000000000000240
46	Olympiaturm	1968	Concrete tower	GER !Munich	7002192000000000000192	7002291000000000000291
47	Gateway Arch	1965	steel/concrete	USA !St Louis	~7002185000000000000185	7002192000000000000192	[citation needed]
48	Bitexco Financial Tower	2010	Skyscraper	Vietnam !Ho Chi Minh City	7002181000000000000181	7002262500000000000262.5	47th floor
49	Tower of the Americas	1968	Concrete tower	USA !San Antonio	7002176000000000000176.0	7002229000000000000229.0
50	Olympic Stadium	1987	Concrete tower	CAN !Montreal	7002175000000000000175	7002175000000000000175
51	Rheinturm	1982	Concrete tower	GER !Düsseldorf	7002174500000000000174.5	7002240500000000000240.5
52	Carew Tower	1931	Skyscraper	USA !Cincinnati	7002171300000000000171.3	7002175000000000000175.0	roof observation deck
53	Reunion Tower	1978	Concrete tower	USA !Dallas	7002170700000000000170.7	7002170700000000000170.7	Closed for renovations.
54	Space Needle	1962	Steel tower	USA !Seattle	7002158500000000000158.5	7002184400000000000184.4
55	Calgary Tower	1968	Concrete tower	CAN !Calgary	7002157500000000000157.5	7002190800000000000190.8
56	Las Vegas Eiffel Tower	1999	Steel tower	USA !Paradise	7002140190000099999140.2	7002164600000000000164.6	½ scale (originally to be full-sized)[citation needed]
57	Foshay Tower	1929	Skyscraper	USA !Minneapolis	7002136190000099999136.2	7002185000000000000185	30th floor
58	Custom House Tower	1915	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	7002136000000000000136	7002151000000000000151	26th floor
59	Avala Tower	2009	Concrete tower	SRB !Belgrade	7002135000000000000135	7002204500000000000204.5
60	Kansas City City Hall	1937	Skyscraper	USA !Kansas City	7002135000000000000135	7002151000000000000151	30th floor
61	Penobscot Observatory	2007	bridge tower	USA !Penobscot R	7002133000000000000133	7002136000000000000136	3rd level (1st & 2nd levels @ 122 & 128 m)
62	Edifice Marie-Guyart	1972	Skyscraper	CAN !Quebec City	7002126500000000000126.5	7002126500000000000126.5	31st floor
63	Smith Tower	1914	Skyscraper	USA !Seattle	7002122000000000000122	7002141000000000000141	35th floor
64	Kuwait viewing sphere	1979	Concrete tower	KWT !Kuwait City	7002120000000000000120	7002187000000000000187	(1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public)
65	National Monument (Indonesia)	1975	Obelisk Monument	INA !Jakarta	7002115000000000000115	7002132000000000000132
66	KölnTriangle	2006	Skyscraper	GER !Cologne	7002103200000000000103.2	7002103200000000000103.2	29th floor
67	Faro de Moncloa	1992	Concrete Tower	ESP !Madrid	700190000000000000090	7002110000000000000110
68	Statue of Liberty	1886	Statue	USA !Liberty Island	700180000000000000080	700193000000000000093	crown level (~90 m torch level closed to public in 1916)[2]
69	Liberty Memorial	1926	Concrete tower	USA !Kansas City	700166000000000000066	700166000000000000066
70	Coit Tower	1933	Concrete tower	USA !San Francisco	700164000000000000064	700164000000000000064
71	Mt Washington towers	2000	Steel Structure	USA !Pittsburgh	700166000000000000066	700166000000000000066	towers overlook Downtown Pittsburgh
72	John Hancock Tower	1976	Skyscraper	USA !Boston	700160000000000000060	7002241000000000000241	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
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	419.7 m (1,377 ft)	Measured above sea level. 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)	Measured above sea level.. 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
1975	1976	World Trade Center, New York City, USA (article)	1973	419.7 m (1,377 ft)	Measured above sea level. 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)