Above is the winning design for a giant, glass – yes glass – viewing platform that will arch out into the middle of nowhere, over a glacial valley in the Columbian Ice fields of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada.

Designed by Sturgess Architecture, RJC and PCL, the structure is destined to become one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions in coming years.

More pics and info after the jump.

The sweeping platform juts out 30 meters from the mountainside, while the see-through floor and railings will no doubt create a thrilling viewing experience.

Unless of course you suffer from vertigo, are scared of heights or just can’t stop imagining you can hear the faint sound of glass cracking.

There will also be a 400-metre walkway built along the mountainside to reach the viewing platform.

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It may not be the biggest pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 event but the Arabian City is the most expensive.

This is the Saudi Arabian pavilion, loosely described as a ‘silk road treasure boat’ or more simply the ‘Moon Boat’, which cost a whopping $146 million to construct.

You can definitely see the oasis-style theme to the place which sits amid a ‘happy desert’ with the top deck planted with a hanging garden, complete with water pools and featuring full-grown date palm trees.

There are even tents erected on top to give visitors a chance to experience a little bit of desert life, just without the scorpions.

Chinese and Saudi architects combined to create the pavilion which covers 6,000 square meters.

It’s not all green though as the pavilion also sports the world’s largest 3D IMAX screen. You can forget catching Iron Man 2 on it though as it will only be used for short, cultural films.

See more shots below.

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