Observation deck

Not to be confused with Scenic viewpoint or Deck (building).

The Edge at 30 Hudson Yards in Midtown Manhattan, containing optically transparent flooring, looking toward Lower Manhattan, opened in 2020

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.

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 Year Type City Deck height (m) Total height (m) Notes
1 Burj Khalifa 2010 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Dubai 585[1] 829.8 Floors 152-154 (opened 2019). Additional decks on floor 148 (555m, opened 2014, which was the world's highest observation deck at its opening) and floors 124-125 (452m).
2 Shanghai Tower 2015 Skyscraper China Shanghai 562[2] 632 121st floor; decks are also on 118th and 119th floors.
3 Ping An Finance Centre 2017 Skyscraper China Shenzhen 562[2] 599.1 115th floor (opened on February 10, 2018).
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[3] 492.3 100th floor, decks also on levels 94 & 97.
9 Tokyo Skytree 2012 Steel tower Japan Tokyo 451.2 634 Three additional observation decks at 340m, 345m, and 350m.
10 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.[4] Two additional observation decks, outdoor on the 91st-floor and indoor on the 89th floor at 383.2 metres (1,257 ft)..
11 CN Tower 1976 Concrete tower Canada Toronto 446.7 553.3 Two additional observation decks at 342 m (outdoor) & 346 m (indoor).
12 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 [5][6][7][8]
13 Sky100, International Commerce Centre 2011 Skyscraper China Hong Kong 393 484 100th floor; 360-degree indoor observation deck.
14 One World Trade Center 2014 Skyscraper United States New York City 386.6 541.3 Observation deck on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors.
15 Landmark 81 2019 Skyscraper Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City 382 461 Observation decks on 79th, 80th and 81st floors.
16 Autograph Tower 2025 Skyscraper Indonesia Jakarta Observation deck on 99th floor, it has the world’s highest outdoor pool and the highest skydeck in Southern Hemisphere
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[9] 448.7 102nd floor; additional 86th floor deck (320 m).
19 Iconic Tower 2023 Skyscraper Egypt New Administrative Capital 360 394 Observations on 74th, 75th and 76th 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 Observation decks on 100th and 101st floors.
Ostankino Tower 1967 Concrete tower Russia Moscow 340 540.1 Indoor deck is at 337 m.
26 John Hancock Center 1969 Skyscraper United States Chicago 313.8 343.5 94th floor.
27 Milad Tower 2007 Concrete tower Iran Tehran 312 435 Top level.
28 China World Trade Center Tower III 2010 Skyscraper China Beijing 311.8 330 81st floor.
29 One Vanderbilt 2021 Skyscraper United States New York City 310 427 Observations on 62nd and 63rd floors.
Ciel Tower 2024 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Dubai 310 366 Observation deck on 81nd, 82rd floors, 76th floor (290 m) and 60th floor (248 m).
31 Shun Hing Square 1996 Skyscraper China Shenzhen 298.1 384
32 US Bank Tower 1989 Skyscraper United States Los Angeles 297 310 69th (indoor and outdoor observation) and 70th floors (skyslide and events) CLOSED.
33 Kingdom Centre 2002 Skyscraper Saudi Arabia Riyadh 290 302 41st floor.
34 Abeno Harukas 2014 Skyscraper Japan Osaka 288 300 58th–60th floor (top floor).
35 Zifeng Tower 2010 Skyscraper China Nanjing 287 450
36 Eureka Tower 2007 Skyscraper Australia Melbourne 285 297.3 Skydeck 88 is at a height of 285 m.
37 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.
39 Eiffel Tower 1889 Wrought iron lattice tower France Paris 276.1 330 3rd floor.
40 Menara Kuala Lumpur 1996 Concrete tower Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 276 421
41 Columbia Center 1985 Skyscraper United States Seattle 275 284 73rd floor.
42 Yokohama Landmark 1993 Skyscraper Japan Yokohama 273 296 69th floor.
43 One Liberty Place 1987 Skyscraper United States Philadelphia 269 288 57th floor.
44 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).
45 JPMorgan Chase Tower 1982 Skyscraper United States Houston 268.2 305.4 60th floor.
46 Sydney Tower 1981 Steel Tower Australia Sydney 268 309 Main indoor observation deck; outdoor skywalk attraction on roof is located at 279 meters.
47 Gran Torre Santiago 2013 Skyscraper Chile Santiago 261 300 Observation deck named Sky Costanera is located on floors 61 and 62.
48 GE Building 1933 Skyscraper United States New York City 259.1 259.1 70th floor ("Top of the Rock").
49 Tianjin Tower 1991 Concrete tower China Tianjin 257 415.2
50 40 Wall Street 1929 Skyscraper United States New York City 255 283
51 22 Bishopsgate 2020 Skyscraper United Kingdom London 254 278 Tallest free observation deck in Europe on the 58th floor.
52 Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building 1995 Skyscraper Japan Osaka 252 256
53 Etihad Towers (Tower 1)[10] 2011 Skyscraper United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 251.2 277.6
54 63 Building 1985 Skyscraper South Korea Seoul 249 250 60th floor.
55 Midland Square 2007 Skyscraper Japan Nagoya 247 247 47th floor.
56 Lotus Tower 2019 Concrete tower Sri Lanka Colombo 245 356
57 The Shard 2013 Skyscraper United Kingdom London 244.8 306 72nd floor.
58 Central Radio & TV Tower 1992 Concrete tower China Beijing 238 405
59 Sunshine 60 1978 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 237.6 239.8
60 Federation Tower (Tower West) 2008 Skyscraper Russia Moscow 235[11] 252 62nd floor.
61 TK Elevator Test Tower 2017 Concrete tower Germany Rottweil 232[12] 246 30th floor (indoor and outdoor).
62 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.
65 Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 2003 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 229.3 238 52nd floor (indoor) and 54th floor (roof-deck).
66 Taipei Nan Shan Plaza 2018 Skyscraper Taiwan Taipei 228.5 272 46th floor (indoor).
67 Europaturm 1979 Concrete tower Germany Frankfurt 227 337.5 Since 1999, the Europaturm has been closed to the public.
68 Tokyo Tower 1958 Steel truss tower Japan Tokyo 223.5 332.6 6th floor.
69 Macau Tower 2001 Concrete tower China Macau 223 338
70 Sky Tower 1997 Concrete tower New Zealand Auckland 220 328 Skydeck observation deck on 60th floor.
71 Tour Montparnasse 1972 Skyscraper France Paris 209 209
72 Fernsehturm Berlin 1969 Concrete tower Germany Berlin 207 368
73 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 1990 Skyscraper Japan Tokyo 202 243.4
74 Main Tower 1999 Skyscraper Germany Frankfurt 200 240
Marina Bay Sands 2010 Skyscraper Singapore Singapore 200 200
76 Olympiaturm 1968 Concrete tower Germany Munich 192 291
77 Mohammed VI Tower 2023 Skyscraper Morocco Salé 190 250 Observation deck on 54th and 55th floor.
78 Vysotsky 2011 Skyscraper Russia Yekaterinburg 186 188.3 Observation deck was opened on 3 May 2012.[13]
79 Bitexco Financial Tower 2010 Skyscraper Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City 181 262.5 47th floor.
80 Tower of the Americas 1968 Concrete tower United States San Antonio 176 229
81 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
84 Donauturm 1964 Concrete tower Austria Vienna 169.4 252
85 N Seoul Tower 1975 Steel tower South Korea Seoul 168.3 236.7 Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain.
86 Vilnius TV Tower 1980 Tower Lithuania Vilnius 165 326.5
87 Space Needle 1962 Steel tower United States Seattle 158.5 184.4
89 Calgary Tower 1968 Concrete tower Canada Calgary 157.5 190.8
90 Fernsehturm Stuttgart 1956 Concrete tower Germany Stuttgart 153 216.6
Çamlıca Tower 2020 Concrete tower Turkey Istanbul 153 369
92 Avala Tower 2009 Concrete tower Serbia Belgrade 135 204.5
93 Fukuoka Tower 1989 Tower Japan Fukuoka 123 234
94 Kuwait viewing sphere 1979 Concrete tower Kuwait Kuwait City 120 187 (1990 Liberation Tower of ~300 m is not open to public).
95 Palace of Culture and Science 1955 Multi-function Poland Warsaw 114 237 Observation deck on 30th floor.
96 Spinnaker Tower 2005 Tower United Kingdom Portsmouth 110 170
97 Millennium Center 2 office tower restaurant 2016 Skyscraper Bulgaria Sofia 105 108
98 Kyoto Tower 1964 Tower Japan Kyoto 100 131
Nagoya TV Tower 1954 Tower Japan Nagoya 100 180
100 Tashkent Tower 1985 Tower Uzbekistan Tashkent 97 375
101 Snezhanka Tower, Pamporovo, Bulgaria 1978 Concrete tower Bulgaria Pamporovo 93 156
102 Kobe Port Tower 1963 Tower Japan Kobe 90.8 108
103 Sapporo TV Tower 1957 Tower Japan Sapporo 90 147.2
104 Tsūtenkaku 1956 Tower Japan Osaka 87.5 108
105 City-Hochhaus Leipzig 1972 Skyscraper Germany Leipzig 120 142.5 31st floor.
106 Nebraska State Capitol 1930 Skyscraper United States Lincoln 75 120 14th floor.
107 Arc de Triomphe 1836 Monument France Paris 50 50 Rooftop terrace.

List of highest observation decks by type

Type Name and Location Constructed Height Notes
Observation Skywalk over vertical cliff free drop Grand Canyon Skywalk, United States 2007 1,100 m (3,609 ft)
Observation deck inside a spire Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[2] 2023 566 m (1,857 ft)
Enclosed observation deck on high-rise building Shanghai Tower, Shanghai and Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China [2] 2015 and 2017 562 m (1,844 ft)
Outdoor observation deck on high-rise building Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE[2] 2014 555.7 m (1,823 ft)
Skywalk over (artificial) waterfall free drop Sky Corridor Waterfall Walkway, Huangteng Gorge, Guangdong, China [14] 2018 500 m (1,640 ft)
Observation deck on tower[2] 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 [2] 2009 412.4 m (1,353 ft)
Up at Thamrin Nine Autograph Tower, Jakarta, Indonesia 2025 385 m (1,263 ft)
Skywalk over bridge Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, Zhangjiajie, China [15] 2016 300 m (984 ft)
Skywalk over glacier Glacier Skywalk, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada [16] 2014 280 m (919 ft)

Under construction

Approved

Destroyed

See also

References

  1. ^ "Burj Khalifa Observation Deck". Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g ctbuh. "World's Highest Observation Decks". www.ctbuh.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Shanghai World Financial Center -SWFC- | Official site of Shanghai Financial Center". www.swfc-shanghai.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Taipei 101 to open top floor to public for the first time". YouTube. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Sears Tower unveils 103rd floor glass balconies", USA Today, July 1, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011. SOM.com Project Page.
  7. ^ BJ Lutz (30 May 2014). "Coating on Willis Tower Skydeck's Ledge Cracks Under Tourists". Nbcchicago.com. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  8. ^ Sophie Lewis (12 June 2019). "Protective layer of Willis Tower's SkyDeck cracks under visitors' feet". cbsnews. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  9. ^ "The Empire State Building". Wired New York. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  10. ^ "Etihad Towers T1 - The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Смотровая площадка Башня Федерация". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  12. ^ "thyssenkrupp Elevator". TK Elevator (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Открытие смотровой площадки в БЦ "Высоцкий"".
  14. ^ "Visit Guangdong's Highest Sky Corridor Waterfall Walkway in China | the Asian Magazine".
  15. ^ "World's tallest and longest glass bridge closes after just two weeks". Dezeen. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Jasper National Park Glacier Skywalk Travel Information". Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  17. ^ China has banned the construction of skyscrapers in 2021.
  18. ^ Watch the livestream to the Merdeka 118 Tower Spire Completion Ceremony here!, retrieved 4 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Millennium-Tower: So grün wird Frankfurts neuer Rekord-Wolkenkratzer". Top Magazin Frankfurt (in German). 15 December 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
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