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.

View from the Shanghai Tower observation deck.
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Visitors on the observation deck of the Skylon Tower, which overlooks Niagara Falls.

The observation deck from the original Two World Trade Center in June 1984, with midtown Manhattan in the distance.

Glass balconies attached to the St Eusebius Church in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
List of public observation decks
Rank | Name | Completion Date | Type | Location | Deck height (m) | Total height (m) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shanghai Tower | 2015 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
562.1 | 632 | 121st floor, decks are also on 118th and 119th floors. |
2 | Ping An Finance Centre | 2017 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
562.1 | 599.1 | 116th floor (opened on February 10 2018) |
3 | Burj Khalifa | 2010 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
555.7 | 829.8 | 148th floor (opened October 2014[1]) decks are also on 124th floor |
4 | Canton Tower | 2010 | Steel Tower | ![]() |
488 | 604 | |
5 | Lotte World Tower | 2017 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
486 | 555 | |
6 | Abraj Al Bait | 2011 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
484.4 | 601 | |
7 | Shanghai World Financial Center | 2008 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
474[2] | 492.3 | 100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97 |
8 | Tokyo Skytree | 2012 | Steel Tower | ![]() |
451.2 | 634 | - |
9 | Taipei 101 | 2004 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
449.2 | 509.2 | The 101st floor indoor/outdoor rooftop observatory opened to the public on June 14, 2019.[3] Two additional observation decks, an 91st-floor outdoor observatory and the 89th floor indoor observatory is 383.2 metres (1,257 ft). |
10 | CN Tower | 1976 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
446.7 | 553.3 | Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor). |
11 | Willis Tower | 1974 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
412.7 | 527.3 | 103rd floor, it is the highest observation deck in the United States |
12 | Sky100, International Commerce Centre | 2011 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
393 | 484 | 100th floor 360-degree indoor observatory |
13 | One World Trade Center | 2014 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
386.6 | 541.3 | Observatory on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors |
14 | Landmark 81 | 2019 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
382 | 461 | Observatory on 79th, 80th and 81st floors |
15 | Petronas Towers | 1998 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
370 | 451.9 | 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. |
16 | Empire State Building | 1931 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
369[4] | 448.7 | 102nd floor, additional 86th floor deck (320 m) |
17 | Lakhta Center | 2021 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
357 | 461 | Observations on 84th, 85th 86th and 87th floors |
18 | Oriental Pearl Tower | 1994 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
351 | 467.9 | 15 observation levels, the highest one being outdoors |
19 | Tuntex Sky Tower | 1997 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
341 | 347.5 | 74th floor |
20 | Jin Mao Tower | 1998 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
340.1 | 420.5 | 88th floor |
21 | Ostankino Tower | 1967 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
340 | 540.1 | Indoor deck is at 337 m |
22 | John Hancock Center | 1969 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
313.8 | 343.5 | Observation deck |
23 | Milad Tower | 2007 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
312 | 435 | Top level |
24 | China World Trade Center Tower III | 2010 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
311.8 | 330 | 81st floor |
25 | Shun Hing Square | 1996 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
298.1 | 384 | |
26 | US Bank Tower | 1989 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
297 | 310 | 70th floor (Skyslide & Events)
69th Floor (Indoor & Outdoor Observation) |
27 | Abeno Harukas(Abenobashi Terminal Building) | 2014 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
288 | 300 | 58th-60th floor (top floor) |
28 | Zifeng Tower | 2010 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
287 | 450 | |
29 | Eureka Tower | 2007 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
285 | 297.3 | Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m |
30= | King Power MahaNakhon | 2018 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
281.6 | 314 | Observation Deck on 74th 76th and 78th floor |
30= | Etihad Towers (Tower 2) | 2011 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
281.6 | 305.3 | Observation Deck at 300 is located on 75th Floor |
31 | Eiffel Tower | 1889 | Wrought iron lattice tower | ![]() |
276.1 | 324 | 3rd floor |
32 | Menara Kuala Lumpur | 1996 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
276 | 421 | |
33 | Columbia Center | 1985 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
275 | 284 | 73rd floor |
34 | Yokohama Landmark | 1993 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
273 | 296 | 69th floor |
35 | One Liberty Place | 1987 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
269 | 288 | 57th Floor |
36 | Bank of America Plaza (Dallas) | 1985 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
268.4 | 281 | 71st floor, additional 70th floor 264.6 metres (868 ft). |
37 | JPMorgan Chase Tower | 1982 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
268.2 | 305.4 | 60th floor |
38 | Sydney Tower | 1981 | Steel Tower | ![]() |
268 | 309 | Main indoor observatory. Outdoor Skywalk attraction on roof is located at 279 meters |
39 | Gran Torre Santiago | 2013 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
261 | 300 | Observation deck named Sky Costanera is located on floors 61 and 62 |
40 | GE Building | 1933 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
259.1 | 259.1 | 70th floor ("Top of the Rock") |
41 | Tianjin Tower | 1991 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
257 | 415.2 | |
42 | 40 Wall Street | 1929 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
255 | 283 | |
43 | Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building | 1995 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
252 | 256 | |
44 | 63 Building | 1985 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
249 | 250 | 60th floor |
45 | Midland Square | 2007 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
247 | 247 | 47th floor |
46 | Lotus Tower | 2019 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
245 | 356 | |
47 | The Shard | 2013 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
244.8 | 306 | 72nd floor Observatory Deck |
48 | Central Radio & TV Tower | 1992 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
238 | 405 | |
49 | Sunshine 60 | 1978 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
237.6 | 239.8 | |
50 | Federation Tower (Tower West) | 2008 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
235[5] | 252 | 62nd Floor |
=51 | Q1 | 2005 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
230 | 323 | 77th floor (SkyPoint), with the function hall on the 78th |
=51 | West Pearl Tower | 2006 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
230 | 339 | |
52 | Roppongi Hills Mori Tower | 2003 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
229.3 | 238 | 52nd floor (indoor) & 54th floor (roof-deck) |
53 | Taipei Nan Shan Plaza | 2018 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
228.5 | 272 | 46th floor (indoor) |
54 | Europaturm | 1979 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
227 | 337.5 | Since 1999, the Europaturm has been closed to the public--> |
55 | Tokyo Tower | 1958 | Steel truss tower | ![]() |
223.5 | 332.6 | 6th floor |
56 | Macau Tower | 2001 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
223 | 338 | |
57 | Sky Tower | 1997 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
220 | 328 | Skydeck observation deck, numbered 60th floor |
58 | Tour Montparnasse | 1972 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
209 | 209 | |
59 | Fernsehturm Berlin | 1969 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
207 | 368 | |
60 | Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building | 1990 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
202 | 243.4 | |
=61 | Main Tower | 1999 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
200 | 240 | |
=61 | Marina Bay Sands | 2010 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
200 | 200 | |
62 | Olympiaturm | 1968 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
192 | 291 | |
63 | Vysotsky | 2011 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
186 | 188.3 | Observation deck was opened on 3 May 2012[6] |
64 | Bitexco Financial Tower | 2010 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
181 | 262.5 | 47th floor |
65 | Tower of the Americas | 1968 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
176 | 229 | |
=66 | Umeda Sky Building | 1993 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
170 | 173 | |
=66 | Tallinn TV Tower | 1980 | Tower | ![]() |
170 | 314 | |
67 | Donauturm | 1964 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
169.4 | 252 | |
68 | N Seoul Tower | 1975 | Steel tower | ![]() |
168.3 | 236.7 | Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain |
69 | Vilnius TV Tower | 1980 | Tower | ![]() |
165 | 326.5 | |
70 | Space Needle | 1962 | Steel tower | ![]() |
158.5 | 184.4 | |
71 | Calgary Tower | 1968 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
157.5 | 190.8 | |
72 | Fernsehturm Stuttgart | 1956 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
153 | 216.6 | |
73 | Avala Tower | 2009 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
135 | 204.5 | |
74 | Fukuoka Tower | 1989 | Tower | ![]() |
123 | 234 | |
75 | Kuwait viewing sphere | 1979 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
120 | 187 | (1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public) |
76 | Palace of Culture and Science | 1955 | Multi-function | ![]() |
114 | 237 | Observation Deck on 30th floor |
77 | Spinnaker Tower | 2005 | Tower | ![]() |
110 | 170 | |
=78 | Kyoto Tower | 1964 | Tower | ![]() |
100 | 131 | |
=78 | Nagoya TV Tower | 1954 | Tower | ![]() |
100 | 180 | |
79 | Tashkent Tower | 1985 | Tower | ![]() |
97 | 375 | |
80 | Snejanka Tower, Pamporovo, Bulgaria | 1978 | Concrete tower | ![]() |
93 | 156 | |
81 | Kobe Port Tower | 1963 | Tower | ![]() |
90.8 | 108 | |
82 | Sapporo TV Tower | 1957 | Tower | ![]() |
90 | 147.2 | |
83 | Tsūtenkaku | 1956 | Tower | ![]() |
87.5 | 108 | |
84 | Nebraska State Capitol | 1930 | Skyscraper | ![]() |
75 | 120 | 14th floor |
List of highest observation decks by type
Type | Name and Location | Constructed | Height | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Enclosed | Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China | 2017 | 562.2 m (1,844 ft) | |
Skywalk On Waterfall | Huangtengxia Tourist Attraction, Guangdong, China | 2018 | 500 m (1,640 ft) | |
On Glass Bridge | Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, Zhangjiajie, China | 2016 | 360 m (1,181 ft) | |
Outdoor | Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE | 2014 | 555.7 m (1,823 ft) | |
Observation Platform On Mountain | Kowloon Peak, Kowloon, Hong Kong | 602 m (1,975 ft) | ||
On Tower | Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China | 2011 | 488 m (1,601 ft) | |
Skywalk | Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, China | 1994 | 420.5 m (1,380 ft) | |
On Skyscraper | Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China | 2017 | 562.2 m (1,844 ft) | |
On Bridge | Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, Zhangjiajie, China | 2016 | 360 m (1,181 ft) | |
Dam | Jinping-I Dam, Sichuan, China | 2013 | 305 m (1,001 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 | ![]() |
1889 | 152.3 m (500 ft) | Was the world's tallest structure when completed. |
1889 | 1931 | ![]() |
1889 | 275 m (902 ft) | Two further observation decks 57 & 115 m. |
1931 | 1973 | ![]() |
1931 | 369 m (1,211 ft)[4] | A second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at 320 metres above ground. |
1973 | 1974 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
1974 | 412.4 m (1,353 ft) | Measured from the Franklin Street entrance, 103rd floor observation deck opened on June 22, 1974 |
1975 | 1976 | ![]() |
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 | 2004 | ![]() |
1976 | 446.5 m (1,465 ft) | Two further observation decks 342 and 346 metres above ground. |
2004 | 2008 | ![]() |
2004 | 449.2 m (1,474 ft) | Two other observation decks are at 392 m (1,286 ft) (91st-floor outdoor observatory) and 383 m (1,257 ft) (89th-floor indoor observatory). |
2008 | 2011 | ![]() |
2008 | 474 m (1,555 ft) | Other observation decks are at 423 m (1,388 ft) and 439 m (1,440 ft). |
2011 | 2014 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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
- 2022 (est.) Jeddah Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 637 m, Level 157
- 2020 (est.) Goldin Finance 117, Tianjin, China. 578.7 m, Level 116
- 2021 (eat.) PNB 118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 489.58 m, Level 117
Approved
- 2021 (est.) Dubai One Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 655 m, Level <161 (Restaurant at 675 m, Level 161).
- 2025 (est.) Signature Tower Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. 515.8 m, Level 111
- 2024 (est) Hermitage Plaza (South Tower), Paris, France. 323 m, Level 85
See also List of tallest buildings and structures in the world#World's highest observation deck
Observation deck gallery
- The 10 m observation deck of Ronda, Spain, overlooks the Depression of Ronda plain over 100 m below.
- An observation deck place in Rokko Garden Terrace, Mount Rokkō, Kobe, Japan
- An 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.
- Brooklyn Bridge as viewed from the One World Observatory in New York City
See also
References
- 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.
- "Skyscraper Page". Retrieved 2010-03-27. Atlanta, Cincinnati, CN, Detroit, Eiffel, GE, Las Vegas, Sears, Seattle, Shanghai, Tianjin
- "Taipei 101 to open top floor to public for the first time".
- "The Empire State Building". Wired New York. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- "Смотровая площадка Башня Федерация".
- "Открытие смотровой площадки в БЦ "Высоцкий"".
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