I recently visited Innsbruck, Austria to visit the Nordpark cable railway system- including four funicular (inclined) railway stations and a bridge designed by Zaha Hadid.
I was stunned by the incredible reflective and opaque glass station canopies, which almost appear to be glacial formations frozen in motion. At closer look, the canopies interact playfully with the curvilinear concrete base of each station. After a short hike through the Alpine mountainside, I began to realise that Hadid’s design references the vernacular Austrian mountain cabin, which consists of a stark concrete plinth (usually housing the carpark) with more ornamental wooden dwelling above. Contrary to popular opinion of Hadid’s work, I found her architecture to be uniquely adapted to fit this specific culture.
Images by Jonathan Choe
