Marks Barfield Architects and Davis Brody Bond have teamed up to design an aerial "gondola" that would stretch over the city of Chicago and serve as a major tourist attraction. More
This weathering steel staircase by engineering studio Close to Bone cantilevers off a hill in Flanders, forming an observation tower overlooking rolling farmland and the Kabouterbos forest (+ slideshow). More
Mexican artist Santiago Borja has built a thatched observatory on the roof of one of Holland's best-preserved Modernist houses (+ slideshow). More
This cylindrical, larch-clad observation tower was designed by Icosis Architects to provide an elevated vantage point over picturesque bogland and night skies in Scotland (+ slideshow). More
Circular "peek holes" pierce the flanks of this observation tower by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, to reference the portholes of ships and offer views over Aarhus harbour (+ slideshow). More
A glass-enclosed "skyslide" is being added to the US Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles, offering thrill seekers the opportunity to glide down the building's exterior. More
Italian architect Carlo Ratti has unveiled plans to build a mile-high observation tower, envisioned as a vertical alternative to New York's Central Park. More
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has won a competition to design an observation tower for Dubai – a landmark that aims to rival the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa. More
Rotterdam studio Monadnock used a variety of brickwork techniques to create the patterned facade of this viewing tower, designed to offer a new landmark for the small Dutch town of Nieuw-Bergen. More
London Eye designer Marks Barfield Architects has reached the final stage in its construction of the UK's highest observation tower outside the capital (+ slideshow). More
This triangular structure by BTE Architecture provides an elevated viewing platform on the edge of Scotland's Loch Lomond (+ slideshow). More
A 101-metre slide winds down through this coiling structure by Fránek Architects, perched on a mountain in the Czech Republic (+ slideshow). More
Bblur Architecture has won approval to wrap a giant slide around the Anish Kapoor-designed ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. More
Israeli illustrator Noma Bar has created a wooden pavilion shaped like a bird with a leafy back among the trees of a wood in central Japan (+ slideshow). More
Architecture firm Snøhetta has designed a pair of ring-shaped platforms linked by a cable car, which will offer expansive views of the Alps to residents and visitors in Bolzano, Italy. More
This steeply slanted platform by architects John Lin and Olivier Ottervaere forms a roadside market and elevated viewing point for a Chinese town being rebuilt after two earthquakes (+ slideshow). More
Raised up by a framework of slender steel supports, this wooden holiday home offers a unique vantage point over a Sri Lankan rubber plantation and the jungle beyond (+ slideshow). More
Tasked with designing a Colorado campsite with unique views, architect Kevin Hirth produced these dreamlike illustrations depicting a cloud-shaped viewing platform floating amongst the trees. More
A huge lightbox is wedged underneath a wave-shaped viewing platform at the end of this pier, designed by Dutch architect René van Zuuk for a lake in the city of Almere (+ slideshow). More
Architects Anton Pramstrahler and Alex Niederkofler have unveiled their proposal for a wooden viewing tower near Bruneck, northern Italy, with a twisted body shaped like a tree trunk (+ movie). More