Il spir, Observation tower in Flims, Switzerland.

Il Spir is an observation platform near Flims that extends out over the Ruinaulta gorge. It offers views of the Vorderrhein river winding through the landscape roughly 400 meters (1,300 feet) below the viewing point.

The Flims Rockslide, whose debris the Vorderrhein still cuts through, dammed the original Rhine valley; the river has not yet reached its former bed. The gorge, Ruinaulta, was carved into that debris in roughly 10,000 years, far faster than the Grand Canyon's 40 million. Corinna Menn designed the platform for the municipality of Flims; it opened in September 2006 and received an honourable mention at the Prix Acier in 2007.

The name Il spir means "common swift" in Romansh and Swiss German, the bird whose silhouette the triangular larch platform copies. Swifts are a common sight on the southern faces of the gorge, so the structure is named for and shaped after the birds circling the cliffs.

You can reach the platform by hiking from Flims-Waldhaus in about one hour. Public bus service also connects the area from nearby stations, giving you flexibility in how you plan your visit.

The structure rests on a single pylon with steel cables supporting it from above. This bold design creates a cantilevered vantage point suspended directly over the world's largest visible rockslide mass.