flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

LA's U.S. Bank Tower to build exterior glass slide leading from 70th to 69th floors

High-rise Construction

LA's U.S. Bank Tower to build exterior glass slide leading from 70th to 69th floors

The glass slide, part of a $50 million renovation project, will stretch 45 feet along the exterior of the building.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | March 3, 2016

Image courtesy OUE Skyspace LA

Observation decks with glass bottoms are all the rage. The Grand Canyon, Willis Tower, and Tower Bridge have all incorporated some sort of viewing deck with a glass bottom. It isn’t enough to just look out over a great expanse from up high anymore. Now, thrill seeking tourists want to be able to step out over vertigo-inducing heights and feel like a super hero floating above their city.

But a new glass bottom project in Los Angeles is looking to make floating in place in the sky passé and is upping the ante with a glass bottom structure that puts people in a more active role.

The U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest building in downtown Los Angeles, is getting ready to introduce tourists to the Skyslide: a 45-foot-long, four-foot-wide glass-bottomed slide suspended about 1,000 feet above the city streets on the exterior of the building.

For $8, customers will be able to enter the slide from the 70th floor and slide down to the observation deck on the 69th floor. The observation deck is the tallest open-air observation deck in California.

According to Overseas Union Enterprises Ltd, who owns the building, the slide is expected to open in June 2016. If glass bottom attractions already in place in other structures around the world are any indication, U.S. Bank Tower’s Skyslide is going to be very popular.

For more on the entire project, click here.

Related Stories

High-rise Construction | Mar 16, 2015

Mexican Museum tower caught in turmoil to break ground this summer in San Francisco

Millennium Partners said it will break ground on the 53-story residential and museum tower while the lawsuits go through the appeals process.

Cultural Facilities | Mar 13, 2015

New Orleans observation tower to feature 320-foot double-helix gondola ride

Tricentennial Tower will take visitors on a 300-year journey through the city's history before landing them at the top for a 360-degree view of the Crescent City.

High-rise Construction | Mar 12, 2015

Developers confirm Renzo Piano’s contribution in Sydney harbor overhaul

If the entire development is approved, One Sydney Harbour will be Piano’s second project in Australia.

High-rise Construction | Mar 12, 2015

Foster and Partners designs 'The One' in Toronto

Developer Sam Mizrahi worked with Foster and Partners and Core Architects to design Toronto's tallest skyscraper aside from the CN Tower, The One, which will house a luxury shopping mall and condos.

High-rise Construction | Mar 11, 2015

Must see: Firm proposes skyscraper with a ‘twist’ in downtown Tulsa

Tulsa, Okla.-based architecture practice Kinslow, Keith & Todd released renderings of a skyscraper concept that takes the shape of a tornado.

Modular Building | Mar 10, 2015

Must see: 57-story modular skyscraper was completed in 19 days

After erecting the mega prefab tower in Changsha, China, modular builder BSB stated, “three floors in a day is China’s new normal.”

Office Buildings | Mar 5, 2015

Goettsch Partners unveils plans for dual office towers in Warsaw

The Mennica Legacy Tower development is divided into a 35-story tower located on the south east side of the site and a 10-story building on the west side.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 4, 2015

Why China's CCTV building needed a WiFi retrofit

It took a year-long retrofit to get WiFi transmission issues solved at China's iconic skyscraper.

High-rise Construction | Mar 4, 2015

Must see: Egypt planning 656-foot pyramid skyscraper in Cairo

Zayed Crystal Spark Tower will stand 200 meters tall and will be just a short distance from the pyramids of Giza. 

High-rise Construction | Mar 3, 2015

Vienna's 25-story wood skyscraper will be world's tallest

Architects from Rüdiger Lainer + Partner are working with developer Kerbler Holding GmbH on a 276-foot-tall building that will be made almost entirely of wood.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021