Long-distance relationships: viewing platforms that offer the bigger picture

'The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon,’ wrote the 19th-century American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. What he expressed in poetic terms back then has since been confirmed by the psychology profession, which maintains that gazing into the uninterrupted distance can help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. The nervous system is apparently calmed as we engage in ‘panoramic vision’ – as opposed to attention-based, productivity-oriented ‘focal vision’. Think wide open spaces, long views and horizon lines.

Architecture comes to the aid of those keen on seeing the bigger picture. The stakes are high, however. Exceptional stability, robustness and safety, of course, but also an understanding of the immediate topography and how to intervene architecturally in a, more often than not, ‘pristine’ landscape with both sensitivity and expression.

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Perched at the summit of La Farrapona in Asturias, Northern Spain, the geological viewpoint of the Saliencia Valley by Puerto & Sánchez Arquitectos is a sculptural intervention in the rugged Cantabrian landscape. Conceived through a design competition, the project answers the call for an “inspiring” form – an elegant corten steel arc that both frames and respects the terrain. Its elliptical geometry offers a 360º panorama while resting lightly on the land, supported by a minimal inverted pyramid structure. A nod to the site’s mining past, the viewpoint merges durability, accessibility and poetic restraint in a piece that feels both grounded and elevated.

Set high above the cliffs of Tibet’s Nujiang Grand Canyon, the Nujiang River 72 Turns Canyon Scenic Area by archermit reimagines the perilous curves of the G318 Highway as a dramatic visitor experience. At its core is a 37-metre cantilevered glass platform, echoing the road’s iconic ‘hairpin turns’ and suspended over a 130-metre drop. Clad in Tibetan red weathering steel, the structure draws on local culture while standing in bold contrast to the landscape. With ziplines, skywalks and cliffside amenities, the project turns the journey itself into a physical challenge – a tribute to the spirit of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Rising above the old town of Wałbrzych in southwestern Poland, Isba Grupa Projektowa’s Urban Viewing Tower draws on the city’s industrial heritage while embracing its mountainous setting. Located on a wooded hill near the market square, the hexagonal steel structure offers six viewing platforms, the highest at 33 metres. Clad in a rusted weathering steel mesh, the tower recalls both mining infrastructure and local brick towers. Strategically placed cut-outs frame views of the Sudetes, while a gently winding ramp leads through the trees to the lower terrace. Part landmark, part lookout, the tower anchors the city’s past within its evolving landscape.

On the historic heights of Vélez-Málaga, Terral Arquitectos’ Viewpoint Garden reclaims a neglected slope beneath the Alcazaba-Fortress, transforming it into a layered civic landscape. Designed to reconnect the La Villa neighbourhood with its surroundings, the project introduces new public stairways, terraces and panoramic lookouts that highlight the city’s architectural heritage and geographical context. Locally fired clay paving and native planting root the intervention in regional craft and ecology, while a discreet rainwater system irrigates the hillside via a reservoir concealed beneath one of the platforms. At once infrastructural and contemplative, the garden weaves urban renewal into the fabric of place.

© Architonic