Glass observation deck. Extreme observation deck in China
Acrophobia is a fear of heights. Being at a height, an acrophobic person experiences nausea and dizziness. Does it feel familiar? If yes, then forget about this attraction. China already has several glass suspension bridges over the precipice and glass paths along the cliffs. And recently, another transparent glass observation deck has appeared, protruding at the edge of the mountain at an altitude of 768 meters above sea level. An extreme terrace near Beijing rises 400 meters above the picturesque valley.
However, the crowds of adrenaline fans know no fear, and the observation deck is already breaking all attendance records. This is the largest platform of this type in the world, which has already become famous all over the world. Tourists from all over China, and not only, come here to admire the unique view and test their willpower.
The Glass Platform is located in the Shilinxia tourist area in Pinggu, near Beijing. The suspension bridge is 32.8 meters wide. The length is 11 meters longer than that of a similar structure in the United States - the SkyWalk observation deck in the Grand Canyon. It is currently the longest observation platform in the world.
The futuristic design fits well into the picturesque gorge - as if a flying saucer had landed here. Stunning views of the mountains and forest are open to brave tourists, but not everyone dares to set foot here. Moving on a glass floor is not a test for the faint of heart. The glass platform is absolutely safe - it is made of titanium, steel and bulletproof glass that has passed all the necessary tests.
It really can be called a crime if you come here without a camera. Therefore, tourists use every second to take stunning pictures above the abyss. The glass floor and railing give the feeling of flying in the air. It is worth overcoming yourself and your fears and walk along the circular bridge over the valley, admire the villages, mountains and forest, and also feel like a part of nature.
Glass walls and roofs have not been surprising to anyone for many years. But there are also many structures in the world in which transparent is an floor... Most often these are buildings that are related to tourism. And today we will tell you about 10 most beautiful and unusual similar cases from all over the world.
Glass balcony in a Chicago skyscraper
On the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago, there is one of the world's most unusual observation decks. Its most interesting feature is the all-glass balcony that protrudes outward. Even the floor in this architectural element is made of strong transparent material, which gives it a special extreme.
It was believed for five years that this glass floor was absolutely safe for visitors. But recently there was an emergency - the strongest glass in it shattered. There were, of course, no casualties. But the company that operates the observation deck at Sears Tower has taken steps to ensure that this never happens again by installing even tougher, thicker glass.
And if the Sears Tower skyscraper was commissioned in Chicago in 2009, then in Moscow there has been an observation deck with a glass floor for several decades. It is located at an altitude of 337 meters in the Ostankino TV tower.
But this is not a balcony. The glass floor on the observation deck in Ostankino is built in separate blocks into the regular floor. Each of these elements is designed to support up to 10 tonnes.
Observation deck over the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River
The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States of America. And in 2007, a very unusual object was opened on one of its slopes - the Grand Canyon Skywalk observation deck.
It is unusual in that this horseshoe-shaped structure, hanging over the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, has a glass floor. And the people walking along it, in fact, walk over the 350-meter abyss of one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Statistics show that about 10 percent of visitors to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, having seen this glass floor with their own eyes, refuse to walk on it even though they have already paid money to enter the facility.
Even more horrifying for some visitors is a walk along the observation path in the Tianmen Mountains in China's Hunan province. After all, about seventy meters of the track pass along a structure with a glass floor. And this is at an altitude of 1.2 kilometers!
However, a few years ago the path in this place was even more terrible and dangerous. After all, the modern tourist path is located on the site of the old path of the monks who lived in these mountains. And they didn’t have any glass floor or secure railings — they walked on separate ledges, clinging to hooks driven into the rock and ropes stretched between them.
The futuristic Apple store in New York became the first structure from a huge network that subsequently entangled the whole world. He has spawned many imitations all over the planet. And not only the walls and ceiling, but also the floor are made of glass in this building. True, the latter is a little clouded so that people on the lower floors cannot “admire” from below the intimate parts of the body of shop visitors walking on a higher level.
A glass floor inside a building is possible not only in tall skyscrapers or in high-rise shops. It is quite appropriate to do it in. Especially if it is located somewhere in the Maldives and stands on stilts in the middle of the warm azure ocean.
One of the buildings of the LUX * Maldives hotel can boast of such an interior. In this bungalow's living room, a coffee table sits on a glass floor with armchairs and sofas around it.
Other hotels in the Maldives have similar structural elements. For example, at the Water Villa in Nunu Atoll.
The Sky Tower radio tower, like the Ostankino TV tower, boasts an observation deck with glass floor elements located at an altitude of more than 300 meters above the earth's surface. Still, we are more interested in another similar element of the Sky Tower construction.
When going up to the above-mentioned observation deck in the Sky Tower, the tourist rides in a high-speed elevator, in which part of the floor is also made of glass. True, at the same time he has to admire not the panoramas of the city of Auckland, but the elevator shaft of the tower.
In some cabins of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car in Hong Kong, even those people who, in principle, are calm about the height, are afraid to sit down. But they also cannot ride in a trailer flying across the sky, which has a strong, bullet-proof glass installed together with the usual floor.
These cabins of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car are called Crystal Cabin, and travel in them costs more than in conventional trailers with a metal floor.
In another Chinese metropolis, Shanghai, the glass floor is not the cable car cabin, but the pool at the Holiday Inn. Moreover, this part of it is a balcony located on the twenty-fourth floor of the building.
This is one of two cases in this review where the best views of the glass floor are not from the top, but from the bottom. A person floating in such a pool will look like an airplane flying across the sky to others.
The Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River in the Californian city of Reading is world famous for two facts. First, it was designed by one of the greatest architects of our time, Santiago Calatrava.
Secondly, the surface of this pedestrian bridge is completely covered with transparent glass, which allows you to achieve incredible visual effects both during the day and in the evening.
See what emotions the height of 400 meters evokes.
ADDITION
In China, an observation deck was opened not for the faint of heart - it is made entirely of glass and is located 400 meters above the ground, surrounded by a picturesque valley.
The glass platform will test the courage of visitors: not everyone dares to take a walk, seeing an abyss underneath. The Daily Mail says visitors have mixed feelings. Some look quite scared and walk uncertainly, while others happily pose for unusual photographs.
The area of the glass platform is 415 square meters, making it the largest in the world. During the construction of this unusual sight, extra strong glass and titanium were used. The creators of the project promise absolute safety of the visit.
The place, which may well become a test of fearlessness, is located 70 kilometers from Beijing, on the territory of the famous Shilin stone forest.
By the way, tourist objects made of glass have recently become very popular in China. Last year, the world's longest glass bridge was opened in Hunan province, and the so-called glass "fear trail" in Mount Tianmen National Park, protruding from a huge cliff 1430 meters high, is one of the most popular modern attractions in China.
We are already accustomed to glass panoramic walls, but what about a glass floor?
And if this floor is at a height of 100 or 1000 meters?
The glass cube is located on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne.
The observation deck "protrudes" from the skyscraper by 3 meters.
The deck is located 300 meters from ground level.
Observation deck Skywalk platform in Sydney, Australia
Outdoor observation deck at the Sydney TV Tower.
The open observation deck is at a height of 268 meters, and at an altitude of 250 meters there is an indoor observation deck with a regular floor.
Lookout "Five Fingers" in the Austrian Alps
The Five Fingers site is located above Lake Hallstatt in Austria
Each of the "fingers" protrudes 4 meters above an abyss 400 meters deep.
All "fingers" have their own flavor.
a frame is installed on the first finger so that visitors can take a photo-portrait as a souvenir;
on the second finger, the floor is made of transparent glass so that visitors can literally "hover over the abyss";
the third (central) finger is shorter than the others and is closed for visits - this symbolizes the inaccessibility and freedom of the mountains;
a hole has been made in the floor of the fourth finger through which you can observe the break under you;
a free telescope is installed on the fifth finger.
Observation deck in Triassic Park, Austria
An observation deck in the form of a coral is located in the Triassic Park, Waidring, Tyrol.
The floor on the site is partially glass.
Tower Bridge in London, UK
The glass floor of the gallery at the top of the Tower Bridge is 42 meters high, 11 meters long and almost 2 meters wide.
Visitors can watch the bridge opening process and see ships sail across the Thames.
AlpspiX observation deck in Germany
The AlpspiX observation deck is located above the "Hell Valley" in the Bavarian Alps.
The site consists of two crossed platforms. One of them is "pushed" into the abyss by 13 meters, and the other - by 11 meters. Each platform is 24 meters long and 3 meters wide.
The floor, however, is not glass, but lattice, but it is still transparent, you can see everything.
Observation deck in Jasper National Park,
Alberta, Canada
In the Canadian Jasper National Park, located in the province of Alberta, there is an observation deck called the Glacier Skywalk.
It is located 280 meters above the Sunwapta Valley.
Observation Deck at the TV Tower in Calgary, province of Alberta, Canada
The observation deck is located at the TV Tower in Calgary.
Height above the ground - 191 meters
Suspension bridge in Hunanpidjan village, Hunan province, China
The bridge is located above the gorge at a height of 180 meters.
The bridge is constantly swaying in the wind!
Tianmen Rock Bridge, Hunan Province, China
In the province of Hunan, China, on the sheer cliff Tianmen (Tianmen) with a height of 1430 meters, a glass observation bridge was built.
The length of the glass section is 60 meters, the width is about a meter
Tourists are given cloth galoshes to walk on a 2.5-inch glass walkway.
There are also cantilever viewing platforms. under your feet is glass, and under the glass is an abyss.
Yunduan Bridge in Chongqing, China
The bridge is built on top of a steep cliff.
The length of the suspended platform is 26.68 meters, and the depth of the gorge under it reaches 718 meters. The structure was designed to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.
The Yunduan Bridge can accommodate up to 200 people at a time: the structure is designed for loads of up to 9 tons per square meter.
Glass Corridor and Observation Deck in Shanghai, China
The glass corridor and observation deck are located in the Shanghai World Financial Center.
The floor is not solid, but consists of individual glass inserts. The height above the ground is 474 meters.
Observation deck at Ostankino TV tower, Moscow, Russia
The observation deck of the Ostankino TV tower is located at an altitude of 337 meters.
Each of these elements is designed to support up to 10 tonnes.
Observation deck "Sky Trail" above the Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon Skywalk), USA
The Sky Trail Observation Deck is the world's first horseshoe-shaped cantilever glass bridge, hovering over the Grand Canyon at an altitude of about 1200 meters and 21 meters from the edge of the abyss.
No cables or brackets limit the 720 ° view. The transparent floor of the bridge is 10 cm thick and its entire open glass structure makes it possible to "take a step off the edge of the Grand Canyon", to look at this amazing miracle of nature from a bird's eye view.
The Skywalk is 3 m wide, 42 m long, and the walls are 1.5 m high.Today, the Grand Canyon SkyWalk is the tallest structure in the world and the first of its kind in the world, and the reinforcing bars holding the bridge are the largest in the world. Interestingly, no cranes were used in the construction of this engineering miracle.
"Endless Room" over the chasm in the USA
The Endless Room is located in Wisconsin
The "endless" room has 3264 windows and, at the end, a glass floor over the treetops.
Glass balcony in Chicago, Illinois, USA
The glass balcony is located on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago. In total, the skyscraper has 110 floors.
There are 4 glass balconies and each of them is capable of withstanding a load of 5 tons.
The height above the ground is 412 meters, the width of the balconies is 1.22 meters.
Lookout "Step into the void" in the French Alps
"Step Into the Void" observation deck. located at the top of Mount Aiguille du Midi in France
The glass room has five transparent edges, each of which consists of three heavy-duty glass layers.
And under your feet - 1035 meters of alpine air and glaciers, in front - a magnificent view of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
Several glass pedestrian bridges have been built, which are of great interest to tourists and local residents. They give a delightful experience when crossing an abyss and allow the pedestrian to test their courage and courage.
Glass bridges are a national hobby of the Chinese. Nowhere in the world are there so many facilities like China. They are very popular, and their number is growing exponentially every year.
These bridges are trending in China today. Their construction is inexpensive, and the effect of the influx of tourists quickly pays for the investment. Glass paths over steep cliffs and viewing platforms with glass floors are no less in demand here.
Glass bridges
one) . It is located at an altitude of about 300 m, has a length of more than 400 m and can simultaneously support up to eight hundred people.
The glass covering of the lower part of the structure has undergone a huge number of safety tests for pedestrians, incl. resistance to high and low ambient temperatures, their sudden changes, to strong winds, etc.
Because of the glass floor, the bridge looks like invisibility, and pedestrians have the feeling that they are walking through the air, soaring in the clouds. But such a journey is beyond the power of children and people suffering from actophobia - fear of heights. They may have a nervous attack.
2) The second bridge in Hunan province can be found in Zhangjiajie Park. It is called the Bridge of the Brave. It is about 300 m long and hangs between two hills at an altitude of about 180 m.
Previously, the bridge was made of wood, but gradually the interest of tourists and vacationers in the park began to fade away, and a modern decision was made: to make it out of glass. First, an experiment was carried out: a small part was covered with glass.
Visitors to the park liked to walk high above the ground in the clouds, so it was decided to make the entire pedestrian walking bridge glass. Since then, he has enjoyed deafening popularity.
Experts are sure that the 6 cm thick glass floor is completely safe, you can jump on it. But few people decide on such actions. The vast majority of pedestrians move across the bridge with their eyes closed or crawling.
3) The "cracking" glass bridge in China at the Taihanshan Mountain it is located at an altitude of almost 1200 meters. In fact, the appearance of "cracks" is an attraction or a special effect, a way to once again test pedestrians for their courage.
It is important to note that from such a special effect, an unprepared pedestrian can simply have a myocardial infarction. Local authorities believe that this is just a playful "provocation", but continue to be criticized by the population.
But in 2015, the special effect glass actually began to crack, and it was removed and repaired. But after the renovation, they installed "cracking" glass, explaining this by the great popularity of the attraction among the audience.
4) New glass bridge appears in southern China, only the most courageous and reckless people will be able to walk on it. It runs around a steep cliff at an altitude of over 1,500 meters, called the "Wriggling Dragon" and leads to Mount Tianmen.
The length of the bridge is over 100 meters, it is narrow - about 1.5 meters. Walking along it, pedestrians see pictures of the surrounding nature of extraordinary beauty: a valley below and mountains floating by clouds.
Glass observation decks and trails
1) Near Beijing is the famous Shilin forest. In this forest, there is a playground with a glass floor. It has an area of over 400 km. m, a height of more than 400 m and gives an excellent view of Shilin: huge stones mixed with trees.
2) In the south of China, in the mountains in 2015, a path more than 250 m long was opened. It is located on the steep side of the mountain, and in order to walk along it, it takes a lot of courage, which the Chinese are so fond of demonstrating.
3) The Yunduan glass observation deck is located at an altitude of over 700 m. It was opened in the summer of 2015, extends far into the abyss from the mountain cliff to which it is attached, and offers viewers a magnificent view from above.
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