Two architecture firms proposed a plan to connect Chicago’s Riverfront to Navy Pier via a hanging cable car network.
ArchDaily reports that Marks Barfield Architects and Davis Brody Bond designed the Chicago SkyLine, individual pods or “gondolas” that will be suspended 17 stories above the Chicago River.
“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,” David Marks, Director at Marks Barfield Architects, said in a statement. “Its design touches the ground lightly and with an environmentally sensitive and delicate presence—like jewels in a necklace—energizing the city's Riverwalk, and attracting the eyes of the world.”
The Chicago Tribune reports that the SkyLine will be used to attract visitors, as city business experts predict that it will bring in 1.4 million people per year. Experts also guess that it will cost $250 million to build, but that it could be entirely privately funded.
The Tribune also notes that the SkyLine could accommodate 3,000 people an hour, and that tickets will cost about $20. If built, the it will operate year-round.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 19, 2020
A new ULI report chronicles the depaving of America
Fifteen examples of how parks and green spaces emerged from parking lots, garages, and underpasses.
Libraries | Jan 23, 2020
Information or community center: The next generation of libraries must be both
Are libraries still relevant in a digital world?
Cultural Facilities | Dec 4, 2019
Snøhetta wins competition to design maritime center in Esbjerg, Denmark
The project’s design was developed with WERK Arkitekter.
Cultural Facilities | Dec 1, 2019
Small-venue theaters play starring cultural and economic roles in New York City’s economy
A new study identifies the challenges these theaters face, and offers possible solutions that include more city support.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 11, 2019
‘The Whale’ will be an arctic attraction 185 miles north of the Arctic Circle
Dorte Mandrup won an international competition to design the project.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 1, 2019
Coldefy & Associés’ design selected for Pulse nightclub shooting memorial
The design was selected from 68 entries.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 29, 2019
A watchtower in Harlem, once a firefighter’s lookout, is restored as a landmark
The nearly $8 million project required major structural interventions.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 65 Cultural Sector Construction Firms for 2019
Whiting-Turner, Turner, PCL, Clark Group, and Gilbane top the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 70 Cultural Sector Engineering Firms for 2019
Jacobs, Arup, EXP, BRPH, and Thornton Tomasetti head the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.