Marks Barfield Architects, the team behind the iconic London Eye, has unveiled plans, in collaboration with Davis Brody Bond, to construct a new sky-high attraction to stretch through the heart of North America's Windy City. The proposed Chicago Skyline is a new cable car line, which will run next to the city's river and through the downtown district.
Designed to withstand Chicago’s constantly varying and sometimes hostile weather conditions, the project's aerial gondolas would be engineered to have an ecologically light footprint and will be able to hold over 3000 people per hour. At the same time, its guests will be able to enjoy unprecedented views of the city’s iconic skyline.
Linking the Navy Pier, the Chicago Lakefront, and the Riverwalk, the line is also planned to conveniently transport Chicago's students to and from school during the off-peak seasons. The bespoke system, specifically designed for the city, is predicted to cost $250 million US dollars to construct, but is forecasted to pull in an impressive $300 million annually due to the influx of tourism and trade these ingenious pods will generate.
The project aims to attract a new wave of international tourists to Chicago. Should it get the go-ahead, the scheme hopes to become a new iconic project for the Windy City.
'The Chicago Skyline could do for Chicago what the London Eye has done for London, and become a very identifiable landmark within the city, driving tourism and prosperity,' says David Marks, director at Marks Barfield Architects. 'Gently fitting in and standing out at the same time, it will allow local people and visitors alike to appreciate the city and its world-class architecture from a completely new perspective.'
'The Chicago Skyline' is a proposal for a unique aerial gondola, which will run next to the city's river and through the downtown district
The gondola would be engineered with an ecologically light footprint and will be able to hold over 3000 people per hour. It will also offer unprecedented views of the city’s iconic skyline.
INFORMATION
For more information on the Chicago Skyline cable car, visit Marks Barfield Architects' website
Image: F10 Studios
-
Design Miami announces Dubai collectible design platform in collaboration with AlserkalThe new platform will honour the region’s cultural heritage while highlighting its spirit of innovation
-
Four new keyboards are fresh and functional desktop companionsMechanical keyboards are all the rage, bringing with them new ways of personalising your desktop. We’ve found four devices that hark back to the early days of computing
-
RBW EV brings a much-loved classic sports car aesthetic into the modern eraThe RBW Roadster and GT hark back to a golden age of sports car design. Under the skin, these British-built machines feature bespoke all-electric running gear
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
-
With a freshly expanded arts centre at Dartmouth College, Snøhetta brings levity to the Ivy LeagueThe revamped Hopkins Center for the Arts – a prototype for the Met Opera house in New York –has unveiled its gleaming new update
