Following an international architecture competition, UN Studio has been selected to design a new cable car terminal in Russia. Assuming all goes to plan, the project, described as the world's first cross-border cable car by the firm, will link with a counterpart in China and provide swift travel between the two countries.
The Blagoveshchensk Cable Car Terminal, which also involves Strelka KB, will be located next to the Amur River which flows between the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk and China's Heihe (the Chinese side of the project has yet to be revealed).
The new cable car system will consist of two lines and run four cabins, each with a capacity for 60 passengers, plus space for their luggage. The entire journey is expected to take roughly seven and a half minutes.
"Cable car systems provide a new form of public transport that is sustainable, extremely fast, reliable and efficient," says UN Studio's Ben van Berkel. "Although primarily a pragmatic solution, cable cars are also a very congenial way to travel as they enable us to see and experience our cities in a whole new way.
"As it crosses the natural border of the Amur River, the Blagoveshchensk - Heihe cable car will be the first ever cable car system to join two countries and cultures. This context provided rich inspiration for the Blagoveshchensk terminal station, which not only responds to its immediate urban location, but also becomes an expression of cultural identity and a podium for the intermingling of cultures."
The design of the terminal building itself is inspired by the regular freezing of the Amur River, says UN Studio. It will include an elevated viewing platform offering views over the Amur towards Heihe, other viewing points, a rooftop garden, a restaurant/conference center, and airport-like security areas.
We've no word yet on the planned date of completion but UN Studio told us that work on the Blagoveshchensk Cable Car Terminal is expected to begin in earnest sometime next year.
Source: UN Studio