Observation deck

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

Observation deck in West Berlin with a view of Potsdamer Platz on the other side of the Berlin Wall, 1977. At the bottom of the steps a placard shows what the square looked like in 1929.

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, as many skyscraper decks, and may include coin operated telescopes for viewing distant features.

List of public observation decks

Notable public observation decks located on human made structures include the following:

List of public observation decks

	Name	Built	Type	Location (sorts by nation)	Deck ht (m)	Total ht(m)	Notes
1	Burj Khalifa	2010	Skyscraper	Dubai	555[1]	829.8	148th floor, outdoor (opened October 2014[2])
2	Canton Tower	2011	Steel Tower	Guangzhou	488	600	The outdoor rooftop observation deck opened in December 2011. The highest indoor deck is at 448.8 m or 1472 ft.
3	Shanghai World Financial Center	2008	Skyscraper	Shanghai	474[3]	492.3	100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97
4	Tokyo Skytree	2012	Steel Tower	Tokyo	451.2	634	Three additional observation decks at 340 m, 345 m, and 350 m
5	CN Tower	1976	Concrete tower	Toronto	446.7	553.3	Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor).
6	Sears Tower (since renamed Willis Tower)	1974	Skyscraper	Chicago	412.7	527.3	103rd floor
7	Sky100, International Commerce Centre	2011	Skyscraper	Hong Kong	393	484	100th floor 360 degree indoor observatory, it is the highest observation deck in Hong Kong.
8	Taipei 101	2004	Skyscraper	Taipei	391.6	509.2	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	One World Trade Center	2015	Skyscraper	New York City	386.6	541.3	Observatory on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors
10	Petronas Towers	1998	Skyscraper	Kuala Lumpur	370	452.9	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.
11	Empire State Building	1931	Skyscraper	New York City	369[4]	448.7	102nd floor, additional 86th floor deck (320 m)
12	Oriental Pearl Tower	1994	Concrete tower	Shanghai	350	467.9	15 observation levels, the highest one being outdoors
13	Tuntex Sky Tower	1997	Skyscraper	Kaohsiung	341	347.5	74th floor
14	Jin Mao Tower	1998	Skyscraper	Shanghai	340.1	421.5	88th floor
15	Ostankino Tower	1967	Concrete tower	Moscow	340	540.1	Indoor deck is at 337 m
16	John Hancock Center	1969	Skyscraper	Chicago	313.8	343.5	Observation deck on the 94th floor, also an outside screened in area on same floor. 45 second elevator ride.
17	Milad Tower	2007	Concrete tower	Tehran	312	435	Top level
18	China World Trade Center Tower III	2010	Skyscraper	Beijing	311.8	330	81st floor
19	Abenobashi Terminal Building	2014	Skyscraper	Osaka	300	300	58th-60th floor (top floor)
20	US Bank Tower	1989	Skyscraper	Los Angeles	297	310	70th floor
21	Zhongyuan Tower	2011	Steel tower	Zhengzhou	292	388
22	Royal Gorge Bridge	1929	Bridge	Colorado	291	321	spans Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River
=23	Grande Dixence Dam	1964	Dam	Valais	285	285
=23	Eureka Tower	2007	Skyscraper	Melbourne	285	297.3	Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m
24	SEG Plaza	2000	Skyscraper	Shenzhen	284	355.8
25	OUB Centre	2010	Skyscraper	Singapore	280	280	Rooftop gallery opened in 2010 as a part of 1-Altitude establishment
26	Eiffel Tower	1889	Wrought iron lattice tower	Paris	276.1	324	3rd floor
27	Menara Kuala Lumpur	1996	Concrete tower	Kuala Lumpur	276	421
28	Columbia Center	1985	Skyscraper	Seattle	275	284	73rd floor
29	Yokohama Landmark	1993	Skyscraper	Yokohama	273	296	69th floor
30	Millau Viaduct	2004	Bridge	Millau	270	343	270 m clearance
31	Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)	1985	Skyscraper	Dallas	268.4	281	71st floor, additional 70th floor 264.6 metres (868 ft).
32	JPMorgan Chase Tower	1982	Skyscraper	Houston	268.2	305.4	60th floor
33	Sydney Tower	1981	Steel Tower	Sydney	268	309
34	Stratosphere Tower	1996	Concrete tower	Las Vegas	266	350.2	108th Floor (Indoor)
35	Vajont Dam	1961	Dam	Erto e Casso	261.6	261.6	"disused"
36	Gran Torre Santiago	2013	Skyscraper	Santiago	261	300	62nd floor outdoor deck.
37	GE Building	1933	Skyscraper	New York City	259.1	259.1	70th floor ("Top of the Rock")
38	Tianjin Tower	1991	Concrete tower	Tianjin	257	415.2	"observation pod"
39	40 Wall Street	1929	Skyscraper	New York City	255	283	Once was second tallest observation deck in the world after the Eiffel Tower
40	American International Building	1932	Skyscraper	New York City	250.2	290	Open only on few select days of the year since 9/11 attacks
=41	Rinku Gate Tower	1996	Skyscraper	Osaka	250	256
=41	Mauvoisin Dam	1957	Dam	Bagnes	250	250	Raised 13.5 m in 1991
42	Tokyo Tower	1958	Steel truss tower	Tokyo	249.9	332.6	6th floor
43	63 Building	1985	Skyscraper	Seoul	249	250	60th floor; North Korea can be seen on clear days
44	Midland Square	2007	Skyscraper	Nagoya	247	247	47th floor
45	The Shard	2013	Skyscraper	London	244.8	306	72nd floor Observatory Deck
46	Central Radio & TV Tower	1992	Concrete tower	Beijing	238	405
47	Sunshine 60	1978	Skyscraper	Tokyo	237.6	239.8
48	Istanbul Sapphire	2011	Skyscraper	Istanbul	236	261	56th Floor open roof
49	Federation Tower (Tower West)	2008	Skyscraper	Moscow	235[5]	252	62nd Floor
50	Q1	2005	Skyscraper	Gold Coast	230	323	77th floor (SkyPoint), with the function hall on the 78th
51	West Pearl Tower	2006	Concrete tower	Chengdu	230	339
52	Roppongi Hills Mori Tower	2003	Skyscraper	Tokyo	229.3	238	52nd floor (indoor) & 54th floor (roof-deck)
53	Olympic Park Observation Tower	2014	Steel tower	Beijing	228	258	Several observation levels
54	Europaturm	1979	Concrete tower	Frankfurt	227	337.5	Since 1999, the Europaturm has been closed to the public-->
=55	Luzzone Dam	1963	Dam	Blenio	225	225
=55	Rialto Towers	1986	Office	Melbourne	225	242.3
=56	Carlton Centre	1973	Building	Johannesburg	223	223	50th floor
=56	Macau Tower	2001	Concrete tower	Macau	223	338
=57	Verzasca Dam	1965	Dam	Ticino	220	220
=57	Westin Peachtree	1973	Skyscraper	Atlanta	220	220	73rd floor
=57	Mratinje Dam	1975	Dam	Mratinje	220	220	in Plužine municipality
=57	Sky Tower	1997	Concrete tower	Auckland	220	328
58	Long Ta	2000	Steel lattice tower	Harbin	216.1	335.9
59	Terminal Tower	1930	Skyscraper	Cleveland	216	235
60	Prudential Tower	1964	Skyscraper	Boston	213[6]	228	50th floor ("Prudential Skywalk")
61	Detroit Marriott	1977	Skyscraper	Detroit	212.3	221.5	70th floor
62	Act Tower	1994	Skyscraper	Hamamatsu	211	213
63	Tour Montparnasse	1972	Skyscraper	Paris	209	209
64	Fernsehturm Berlin	1969	Concrete tower	Berlin	207	368
65	Almendra Dam	1970	Dam	Almendra	202	202
66	Sky Tower	2012	Skyscraper	Wrocław	201	212	Highest in Poland
=67	Kölnbrein Dam	1979	Dam	Malta	200	200
=67	Main Tower	1999	Skyscraper	Frankfurt	200	240
68	Fernmeldeturm Nürnberg	1980	Concrete Tower	Nuremberg	194	292	VIP access only; public expansion planned
69	Olympiaturm	1968	Concrete tower	Munich	192	291
70	Vysotsky	2011	Skyscraper	Yekaterinburg	186	188.3	Observation deck was opened on 3 May 2012[7]
71	Gateway Arch	1965	steel/concrete	St Louis	185	192
72	Bitexco Financial Tower	2010	Skyscraper	Ho Chi Minh City	181	262.5	47th floor
73	Colonius	1968	Concrete tower	Cologne	177	266
74	Tower of the Americas	1968	Concrete tower	San Antonio	176	229
75	Olympic Stadium	1987	Concrete tower	Montreal	175	175
76	Rheinturm	1982	Concrete tower	Düsseldorf	174.5	240.5
77	Carew Tower	1931	Skyscraper	Cincinnati	171.3	175	roof observation deck
78	Reunion Tower	1978	Concrete tower	Dallas	170.7	170.7	Closed for renovations since November 16, 2007
79	Shennong Tower	1999	Concrete tower	Zhuzhou	170	293
80	Donauturm	1964	Concrete tower	Vienna	169.4	252
81	N Seoul Tower	1975	Steel tower	Seoul	168.3	236.7	Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain
82	Space Needle	1962	Steel tower	Seattle	158.5	184.4
83	Calgary Tower	1968	Concrete tower	Calgary	157.5	190.8
84	Fernsehturm Stuttgart	1956	Concrete tower	Stuttgart	153	216.6	The Alps and the Black Forest can be seen on clear days
85	Philadelphia City Hall	1901	Masonry tower	Philadelphia	152	167
86	Nina Tower	2006	Skyscraper	Hong Kong	151.7	320	41st floor
87	Fernsehturm Dresden-Wachwitz	1969	Concrete tower	Dresden	145	252
88	Las Vegas Eiffel Tower	1999	Steel tower	Paradise	140.2	164.6	½ scale (originally to be full-sized)
89	Foshay Tower	1929	Skyscraper	Minneapolis	136.2	185	30th floor
90	Custom House Tower	1915	Skyscraper	Boston	136	151	26th floor
=91	Kansas City City Hall	1937	Skyscraper	Kansas City	135	151	30th floor
=92	Avala Tower	2009	Concrete tower	Belgrade	135	204.5
93	Penobscot Observatory	2007	bridge tower	Penobscot R	133[8]	136	3rd level (1st & 2nd levels @ 122 & 128 m)
94	Edifice Marie-Guyart	1972	Skyscraper	Quebec City	126.5	126.5	31st floor
95	Smith Tower	1914	Skyscraper	Seattle	122	141	35th floor
96	Kuwait viewing sphere	1979	Concrete tower	Kuwait City	120	187	(1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public)
97	National Monument (Indonesia)	1975	Obelisk Monument	Jakarta	115	132
98	KölnTriangle	2006	Skyscraper	Cologne	103.2	103.2	29th floor[9]
99	Faro de Moncloa	1992	Concrete Tower	Madrid	90	110
100	Alor Setar Tower	1998	Tower	Alor Setar	88	165.5
101	Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument	1888	Obelisk Monument	Indianapolis	84[10]	87
102	George Washington Masonic National Memorial	1932	Stone building	Alexandria, Virginia	82	101	Offers views of Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia; open on national holidays
103	Statue of Liberty	1886	Statue	Liberty Island	80	93[11]	crown level (~90 m torch level closed to public in 1916)
104	Antey-1	2004	Skyscraper	Yekaterinburg	76	76
=105	Liberty Memorial	1926	Concrete tower	Kansas City	66	66
=105	Mt Washington towers	2000	Steel Structure	Pittsburgh	66	66	towers overlook Downtown Pittsburgh
106	Coit Tower	1933	Concrete tower	San Francisco	64	64
107	John Hancock Tower	1976	Skyscraper	Boston	60	241	Closed to the public since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.[12]

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	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE	2010	555 m (1,821 ft)
On skyscraper	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE	2010	555 m (1,821 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	Grande Dixence Dam	1964	285 m (935 ft)

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)[4]	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 from sea level, street level was 10 feet 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)	Measured from the Franklin Street entrance, 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 from sea level, street level was 10 feet 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	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	present	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE	2010	555 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.

• 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; the 5 Fingers viewing platform on Mount Krippenstein in the Austrian state of Upper Austria is built over a chasm of 400 m (1,300 ft) depth.^[13]

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

See also

• Observation wheel

References

1. "At the Top, Burj Khalifa Experience". burjkhalifa.ae. Burj Khalifa. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
2. Willett, Megan (17 October 2014). "Dubai's Burj Khalifa Now Has The Highest Observation Deck In The World At 1,821 Feet, decks are also on 124th floor And It Looks Incredible". businessinsider.com. Business Insider. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
3. "Skyscraper Page". Retrieved 2010-03-27. Atlanta, Cincinnati, CN, Detroit, Eiffel, GE, Las Vegas, Sears, Seattle, Shanghai, Tianjin
4. "The Empire State Building". Wired New York. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
5. "Смотровая площадка Башня Федерация".
6. "Prudential Skywalk Observation Deck & Exhibit". World Travel Guide. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
7. "Открытие смотровой площадки в БЦ «Высоцкий»".
8. "Penobscot Narrows Observatory". MaineGuide.com. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
9. Fact and Figures koelntrianglepanorama.de
10. "Soldiers and Sailors Monument and Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum website". Indiana War Memorials Commission. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
11. "Statue of Liberty Facts". Retrieved 2010-03-27.
12. "Boston.com / US under attack". The Boston Globe.
13. "5 Fingers am Dachstein, Obertraun am Hallstättersee, Oberösterreich - Wandern & Themenwege". cusoon. Retrieved 2014-10-26.