No glass ceiling for Grand Canyon viewers

Visitors to the Grand Canyon in Nevada will now get a new view of the world’s largest depression: from beneath their feet. From March 2007 viewers will be able to see America’s biggest tourist area from a 21m steel and glass platform that extends over the canyon’s edge.

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Built at a cost of 30 million dollars, The U-shaped platform will allow up-to 120 people at a time to see the canyon from an entirely different perspective. It is the brain-child of California businessman David Jin who financed the project on land owned by the Hualapai tribe.

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Located on the lesser-visited Western side of the canyon, it hopes to significantly increase the numbers of visitors to this part of the massive area. Of an estimated 4 million visitors annual, only 125,000 make it to the reserve owned by the Hualapai.

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Despite the misgivings of some, regarding safety and use of sacred land, the project went ahead to benefit a native reserve that is too remote to host gambling facilities that have become the mainstay of economies for these impoverished minorities.

� Says architect Mark Johnsone, “There really is no building type for this,” referring to the unique challenge. The project was conceived back in 1996 by Jin, and has been 10 years in the planning, with construction started 3 years ago. It will sit 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) above the Colorado River which marks the base of the enormous eroded landscape.