“Spacelift” & World’s First Revolving Glass Floor Await You At Seattle’s Space Needle

Walls, barriers – even floors – removed and replaced with textured glass offer breathtaking, never-before-seen views

SEATTLE, WA – One of the world’s most iconic landmarks, the Space Needle unveiled a dramatically different visitor experience a few years ago that reinterprets the ingenuity and innovation of the original building from the 1962 World’s Fair. The renovation of the 605 foot tall structure involved technology and products that were simply not available at the time of construction.

Walls, barriers – even floors – have been removed and replaced with structural glass, revealing a visceral experience that the visionary designers of the Space Needle could only dream of. The new (2018), multi-story tower features the world’s first and only rotating glass floor that offers expansive views as guests soar over Seattle. The completely redesigned Space Needle experience dramatically expands the view of Mount Rainier, Elliott Bay, the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges and offers several “firsts” thanks to a private investment of 100 million US dollars.

The upper and lower levels are now united by a cantilevered grand staircase called the Oculus Stairs, creating a new destination that embodies the spirit of opportunity that Seattle is known for. With 196% more glass than before, including the use of ten different varieties, designers have created an immersive adventure that opens up awe[1]inspiring beauty of the Puget Sound region.

“This reinvestment will ensure the long-term viability of the Space Needle,” said Ron Sevart, Space Needle CEO. “We have an obligation to our team members, our guests and the community to preserve the Space Needle as a civic and cultural icon for future generations.”

Perhaps the most dramatic “first” is The Loupe, the world’s first and only rotating glass shelf. Visitors to the Loupe can walk, stand or sit on the glass floor floating 150 meters above the city and enjoy a never-before-seen view of the unique architecture and elevators of the Space Needle. A 360-degree view of the Seattle Center campus and the surrounding cityscape is enhanced as the floor rotates slowly every 45 minutes.

The new Atmos Wine Bar on the 150-foot level complements the breathtaking views with a selection of local wines and the chance to relax and enjoy the unique Seattle sunsets. Along with installing The Loupe rotating glass floor, the architects have partially replaced glass walls with new high-tech panels that expand the view and ensure that the Space Needle really offers the best panorama of Seattle.

A little further up, at the 520-foot level, guests will be in awe as they step off the Space Needle elevators and are greeted by wide-open, completely unobstructed views. Interior viewing offers an expanded view with graceful glass doors and floor to ceiling seamless panes of glass that provide unobstructed views of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The new Atmos Café offers light snacks and refreshments, while the accessible glass doors entice guests to the redesigned outer viewing platform, where huge 3.1 by 2.70 meter panes of glass offer a completely open – and exciting – view.

The outer observation deck has been updated dramatically. The open-air glass panes of the outer viewing platform emerge at a slight 14-degree angle and replace the previous “wire” cages and partial walls. With no walls and no seams – or “posts” – between the individual panes of glass and nothing but the open sky above, unobstructed views are guaranteed.

The 24 Skyrisers – innovative, sloping glass benches – are positioned along alternating panes of glass along the outer observation deck, allowing guests to sit up, sit back and experience the intense feeling of floating over the city and offering the ultimate Seattle selfie. Moment. A new grand staircase now connects the upper and lower floors via an open circular staircase, which is suspended from the core of the Space Needle and cantilevered and has no optically recognizable supporting structure.

At the base of the curved new staircase is an oculus with a glass floor showing the structure of the Space Needle and the up and down movements of the elevators and counterweights. While the Space Needle appears materially unchanged from the outside, the guest experience has undoubtedly changed forever.

“The Space Needle was built to define the Seattle skyline, but it has become much more,” said Karen Olson, CMO, Space Needle. “The Space Needle became the visual symbol of the city and the symbol of the spirit of Seattle. The original designers of the Space Needle dreamed big and we continued their vision with this renovation. With glass walls, glass barriers, glass benches, and even glass floors, visitors can feel like they are floating above the city. The Space Needle has always offered some of the best views of the Pacific Northwest. Now it offers some of the most exciting. “

Seattle-based architecture firm Olson Kundig, together with design and engineering partners Front, Fives Lund, Arup and Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) and construction partners Seneca Group, Hoffman Construction Company, Herzog Glass and Breedt Production Tooling & Design, has the big one Vision of the founders of Space Needle – unobstructed, expanded view – through the use of the latest technology. What the tower’s designers envisioned 56 years ago was great, but their dreams were constrained by the limits of building materials and technology of the 1960s.

About the Space Needle – The Space Needle is Seattle’s famous landmark, the most easily identifiable global skyline feature after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, it continues to symbolize the leading innovation and technology the city is known for and serves as a beacon for the future.

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