UN Studio has won an international architecture competition and will be designing a new cable car terminal in Russia. If all goes according to plan, the project will link a counterpart in China while offering a swift travel opportunity between the two countries. UN Studio has described the project as the world’s first cross-border cable car. The terminal has been named as the Blagoveshchensk Cable Car Terminal.
It also involves Strelka KB that will be located next to the Amur River that flows between China’s Heihe and the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. The new cable car system will be comprised of two lines and shall run four cabins. Each cabin will have a capacity of 60 passengers apart from space for their luggage. The complete journey will last for about seven and a half minutes.
Ben van Berkel from the UN Studio said, ‘Cable car systems provide a new form of public transport that is sustainable, extremely fast, reliable and efficient. 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 for the terminal building has taken its inspiration from the regular freezing of the Amur River as per UN Studio. It will feature an elevated viewing platform that will provide views over the Amur towards Heihe apart from other viewing points, a restaurant/conference center, a rooftop garden, and airport-like security areas. There is no news about the expected date of completion, but UN Studio has told that the Blagoveshchensk Cable Car Terminal will start sometime next year!
