Honorable Mention
2014 Skyscraper Competition
Christopher
Christophi, Lucas Mazarrasa
United Kingdom
The cinematic vision of
hyper speed rail was once a phenomenon. However, nations from around the world
from the USA to UK are again consolidating futuristic proposals for an advanced
public transport network, to maximize the economic growth of their cities.
The Hyper Speed Vertical
Train Hub, aims to resolve the inevitable challenges that cities will face by
2075, and offers a deliverable and sustainable solution for the future of the
transport generation.
As the world’s population
dramatically increases, the demand for goods, natural resources, foods, fuel
and land would have increased significantly by 2075. The majority of the
future’s population will gravitate towards living in mega-cities, increasing
the pressure and competition for adjacent suburban land, therefore forcing
cities to explore more innovative forms of public transport.
The essence of time is
already an invaluable representation for the technological revolution. Smart phones,
video calls are already cemented into society as mandatory modes of
communication. However, our proposal will not only simplify time, it will
reduce co2 emissions, increase energy security and revolutionize international
trading relations. The project will become a ‘repeatable’ piece of
infrastructure that can be implemented to support any city around the world,
connecting to a new Hyper Speed under and over ground network, with trains
covering an average distance of 300miles in 30 minutes.
The Hyper-Speed Vertical
Train Hub aims to replace existing flagship train stations and create new key
connective points for the exchange of people and goods with the new hyper speed
network. The proposal will ‘flip’ the traditional form and function of the current
train station design vertically, and re-form it into a cylindrical mass to
increase the towers train capacity. This tall cylindrical form aims to
eliminate the current impact that traditional stations have currently on land
use, therefore returning the remaining site mass back to the densely packed
urban Mega City. This remaining land will surround the base of the tower
forming a large urban park, leading towards to the base of the Hyper-Speed
Vertical Hub. Passengers will travel into the main lobby allowing
travelers to ascend through the atrium and through the platforms and onto the
carriages. The trains will create a dynamic and kinetic facade, one that will
be continuously evolving and responsive to the workings of the vertical hub, a
language that can be read by the whole city. As the train travels and
transitions from its horizontal formation, and ascends up the facade
vertically, the carriages will pivot similar to that on a ‘Ferris wheel’,
allowing the passengers within the carriage to remain in an upright position
and facing towards the cityscape. The carriages will be supported by a magnetic
structure located at either side, eliminating the need for rails beneath, and
allowing the carriages and its passengers to connect to the tower.