Aurland Lookout, Norway

http://www.archdaily.com/7816/aurland-look-out-saunders-arkitektur-wilhelmsen-arkitektur/31068-c1-model-1/

http://www.nzwood.co.nz/images/uploads/Aurland%20Lookout%202.jpg

The site is above Aurland, a small town in Sogn og Fjordane, one of the larger fjords on the West Coast of Norway. Aurland is three hours drive from Bergen, Norway’s second largest city. We were one of three architecture firms invited to deliver a design proposal for this site. After winning we worked on detail drawings for the project together with Node Engineers, Bergen. The project was

 built in Fall 2005 and was officially opened in June 2006.

 The place has attracted people from all over the world. We called our competition entry «640m over Aurland and 20120 km from Tokyo», keeping in mind the uniqueness of the place in the bigger picture.

Nature first and architecture second was the guiding principal when we sat down to design this project. It was immediately obvious to us that in such beautiful surroundings one must make the least possible encroachment in the existing landscape and terrain. The landscape is so fantastic that it is difficult to improve the place, but at the same time very easy to destroy the atmosphere by inserting too many elements into the site. Even though we have chosen an expressive form, the concept is a form of minimalism, in an attempt to conserve and complement the existing nature.

Today there are many people stopping at this site to enjoy the phenomenal views over the fjords. At times the areas gets filled with cars and tour busses. One of the first things we decided to do was to form a small parking area for 2 buses and 10 cars further up the road to help keep the place pure and not to disturb the look out. The construction is a bridge that one can go out onto, as a structure in the air. The structure is 4 m wide, 30 long, and 9m high out at the very end.

To make the situation even more dramatic it was important for us to create the experience of leaving the mountainside. We wanted people to come out in the air. The construction creates a distinct horizon; a bridge in the open room of this large fjord. It is imperative that the landscape and the vegetation not altered, but are protected so that one came come out from the landscape and experience it from new standpoint.

We have managed to behold all of the large pine trees on the site. This allows us to create an interaction between the structure and nature. One can walk out into the air through the treetops, helping dramatise the experience of nature and the larger landscape room.

http://www.archdaily.com/7816/aurland-look-out-saunders-arkitektur-wilhelmsen-arkitektur/ntower.ca/

Grand Canyon Skywalk

http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/gallery.html

http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/

Go where the eagles dare to fly … welcome to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Carved by the Colorado River over 15 million years and spanning approximately 277 miles long; the Grand Canyon captures the hearts of visitors around the world with its epic views of majestic mountain peaks and valleys, clear skies that soar into deep shades of blue, and the awesome biological diversity of Mother Nature.  Located at the canyon’s west rim, the Grand Canyon Skywalk allows visitors to “Walk the Sky” with its unique glass bottomed cantilever U shaped observation deck that spans 70 feet (21.34 meters) over the canyon’s rim and sits 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above the Colorado River.  A construction masterpiece, the glass – which is the only element that separates visitors from the deep canyon floor – weighs 1.2 million pounds.   Completed in March 2007, the Skywalk is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in northwest Arizona and is the only architectural wonder of its kind that allows visitors to truly take in the experience of this beautiful and majestic place.

Five Fingers, Austria

http://www.goldenerochs.at/images/top/five_fingers.jpg

5 Fingers is a free viewing platform on the Krippenstein that was named "5 Fingers" by virtue of its hand-like hand shape.

It is called the "most spectacular viewing platform in the Alps" because the individual, approximately 4 meters long fingers were built over a precipice of about 400 m (1200 ft) depth.

The "fingers" are about 12 feet long and were built over a chasm of about 400 m (1200 ft) depth. The viewing platform can be reached through a walk of less than 20 minutes from the Krippenstein station of the Dachstein cable car line.

At the first finger (from left to right) a metal frame was assembled, so visitors can take a framed photo of themselves as a souvenir.

The second finger was equipped with a glass bottom which allows to look down into the abyss below.

The third finger is shorter than all others and is not accessible all the way. It has a kind of springboard and symbolizes the freedom of the mountains.

The fourth finger has a hole in the floor that allows a free view into the abyss.

At the fifth finger a telescope is available free of charge.

The observation deck is illuminated at night until midnight and can therefore be easily seen with the bare eye as far as the towns of Hallstatt and Obertraun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Fingers_(Austria)

Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, Australia

The Treetop Walk is a unique attraction which enables visitors to experience a 1500 metre walk through beautiful warm temperate rainforest.

The uniqueness of our attraction in comparison to other rainforest walks is that 500 metres of this walk is nestled in the treetop canopy some 20-30 metres above ground level.

The walkway culminates in Knights Tower, a spiral tower that rises to a breathtaking 45 metres above the forest floor.

Then there’s the thrills and challenges of two confronting swaying springboard cantilevers suspended 25 metres above the forest floor which take guests to the edge of the escarpment.

http://www.illawarrafly.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN1T3PyTgPA

Architecture exploring heights

HOW DO WE PERCEIVE HEIGHT AND DIFFERENT LEVELS