i remember the first time i went to the top of a skyscraper. it was the
john hancock building in chicago a couple of months after the world trade center went down and i nearly shat myself as i walked from the lift to the windows of the observation level, my knees threatening to buckle as i simultaneously got a huge adrenaline rush that seemed to collect just behind my eyeballs. that feeling, i'm guessing, is nothing compared to the one you must get when standing on one of the viewing structures shown below. you're literally just standing on a platform, then nothing. there's no half-kilometre high building holding everyone's weight as you stare down and hope to fuck that the engineers responsible didn't have an off-day at any point during its planning and construction. just a drop. and an incredible view.
but would i use one of these platforms? in a rapid heartbeat.
grand canyon skywalk, arizona, u.s.a.
this horseshoe-shaped pant-filler hangs approximately 4'000ft above the floor of the grand canyon. but... below the platform is not a sheer drop of that height - it's still extremely high, but not 4'000ft worth. also, the platform is located in a side canyon, not the main one, although it's pretty close. all that said, this is still a monster. there's a video of the skywalk
here (warning - youtube ahead).
il binocolo, meran, italy
within the gardens of trauttmansdorff castle in italy you'll find this charming steel platform poking out through the trees, its name (meaning 'the binoculars') coming from the shape of the platform's small roof and the view of the surrounding landscape. i've no idea of the platform's height - it doesn't look incredibly high - but i know i wouldn't like to fall off the edge. designed by architect
matteo thun.
aurland lookout, aurland, norway
architects
todd saunders and tommie wilhelmsen were commissioned to design a scenic rest-stop 2'000ft above aurland fjord in norway and came up with this beauty. the outermost end of the horizontal platform - which curves to form the structure's support - is closed off by a sheet of glass, offering an incredible view towards the ground for all those with the balls to make the trip to the end.
top of tyrol, tyrol, austria
'top of tyrol', designed by
aste architecture, is a spectacular cantilevered viewing platform overhanging a ridge of mount isidor in austria. admittedly the same view could've been gained without the steel platform but it definitely provides a decievingly safe area for tourists wanting a perfect view of stubai glacier. plus there's always the attraction of the thrill factor as you stand 9 metres away from the mountain.
dachstein skywalk, dachstein glacier, austria
nicknamed the 'balcony of the alps', the dachstein skywalk is perched above the 850ft vertical rockface of the hunerkogelin austria and offers views of both slovenia and the czech republic. in order to scare tourists as much as possible there's also a glass section of floor at the unsupported end of the cantilevered platform. a definite knee-trembler.
the landscape promontory, ticino, switzerland
the landscape promontory is a suspended viewing platform designed by
paolo bürgi as part of the cardada project, a revitalisation of the cardada mountain that is expected to finish in 2010. as with 'il binocolo', the steel and titanium platform enables you to walk amongst the tree tops and experience a view of lake maggiore that was previously unattainable.
use your keyboard to let us know of any other examples in the comments.
