Getting from here to there is typically a pretty boring blend of logistics and practicality, unless you are into that sort of thing. However, as architects and designers, we occasionally have the opportunity to work with urban planners to think about this side of things and find it pretty fascinating.
So, when we saw this article about railway technology that seems to defy the laws of physics, we were hooked. We really shouldn’t be surprised, when you consider the roads tunneling through mountains and suspended gondolas in mid air that people use every single day around the world.
The article features the legendary Schwebebahn Monorail in Germany that subverts typical train travel upside down, the DMV Road-Rail Bus in Japan that transforms from a bus that picks you up at home to a train car, and the Katoomba Scenic Railway in Australia that is one of the world’s steepest railways and uses a rope-haul system to travel own a 52-degree (128%) incline, to name a few.
While we don’t foresee designing any buildings that will rely on such strange kinds of transportation to bring people to them, we never will say never!
