Those who have a fear of heights might not want to look down next time you go up to the Space Needle. One of the centerpieces of the landmark’s massive remodel, designed by Olson Kundig, is now complete: a rotating glass floor, allowing visitors to look down at the 500 feet between them and the ground.
Called the Loupe, the Space Needle’s new floor gives a view not just of the people milling about below, but the inner workings of the building, giving the viewer a sense of what makes the Needle tick. Counter-weights and the insides of the elevator are both revealed.
The glass floor goes along with newly-open glass walls, doing away with a more closed-off design and adding glass benches that help give the illusion of floating above the city. All together, more than 176 tons of glass were used in the renovation.
The public will be able to walk on the glass floor starting at 8 a.m. Friday—but for now, here’s a preview.
As before, the rotating floor will be part of a restaurant—the exact concept is slated to be announced later this year—but for now, visitors can have a drink or a snack on that level at Atmos Wine Bar. Atmos Café is located on the second floor.
According to the Space Needle’s management, this is the first and only rotating glass floor in the world. We could not find any counter-examples.
To keep the floor, benches, and walls safe for visitors, the glass was designed like reinforced concrete. Each glass panel has between three and ten structural layers as backups in the event something were to happen to one. The floor is the thickest, with ten structural layers plus a scuff-proof aesthetic layer.
Building the glass floor required crews to dangle 500 feet in the air and requiring a work platform to be installed—which, for a time, made the Space Needle look a little thicker.
In addition to the visual changes, the renovation included seismic and accessibility upgrades.
The remodel is part of the “Century Project,” a multi-year effort to highlight the structure of the Needle and get closer to the original vision from its concept sketches.