Named for a peak in its native Norway, Snøhetta has been on the rise for some time now, and in Italy, they are looking to ascend higher still — literally. The Norwegian studio has won another international competition, this time to design the new Bolzano Cable Car Transit Hub in the heart of the Italian Alps. The new aerial transit system will allow visitors to travel to the top of Virgil Mountain, making its summit accessible for the first time in almost 40 years.
The original funicular railway up the steep mountainside had shut down in 1978, but Snøhetta’s intervention will offer a new, much faster route to the top: each cable car’s ascent will take just 71 seconds. Once they have arrived at the peak, passengers will be greeted by panoramic views of the Alps from both inside and on top of a new observation platform, which overhangs the cliff edge far above the city.
Snøhetta’s design, illustrating the firm’s penchant for merging manmade structures with the natural landscape, centers on two slender cylindrical structures embedded within the topography at the foot and summit of the mountain. Those boarding the cable car to begin their ascent will find themselves surrounded by grasses and native planting as if a fragment of wilderness from the mountain peak has been transposed to its base in the city of Bolzano.
Conversely, at the top of the mountain will be a variety of amenities more commonly found in urban developments, including an infinity pool, gourmet restaurant, café, and meeting rooms. Snøhetta is also proposing a new, flexible public space entitled the “Mountain Square,” which could host a multitude of events from open-air markets to concerts — all with extraordinary views of the surrounding mountains.
The cable car transit hub is due for completion in 2018.