Chicago's TILT puts new slant on observation decks

tilt

Rob Lovitt TODAY

May 7, 2014 at 10:42 AM ET

While most observation decks elicit responses ranging from ahh to ooh, visitors to Chicagos John Hancock Center may be more inclined to opt for something like, Whoa!

On Saturday, the buildings 94th-floor observation deck will unveil TILT, a glass-lined, 8-person enclosure that will pivot out from the building faade and provide views that stretch from the city skyline to Michigan Avenue, almost 1,000 feet below.

As such, it promises to provide a whole new slant on the observation deck experience.

Traditionally, visiting an observation deck has been a fairly passive experience where you go up to a floor, stand at the windows and take in the view, said Nichole Williamson, general manager of 360 Chicago, which owns and operates the observation deck. The idea came to us to introduce a sense of movement into the experience.

That experience entails standing in a bank of bays as the enclosure pivots outward and tilts downward 30 degrees for about 30 seconds.

You definitely get the sense that something unusual is happening as you start to tilt out, said Williamson. You can see directly down the face of the building, which is a view you dont normally get to see.

Having done it dozens of times herself usually in 4-inch heels she says the experience is designed to be thrilling rather than terrifying.

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Chicago's TILT puts new slant on observation decks