For 10 years this December, Zaha Hadid’s Hungerburgbahn have graced the built environment of Innsbruck, Austria. Since its conception, over 4.5 million passengers have visited one of the four train stations connecting them from downtown Innsbruck to the Norkette Mountain to Hungerburg.
All four stations fashion curvilinear geometries characteristic of Zaha Hadid Architects. However, each form has been precisely designed and tailored to each site’s unique context, topography, altitude, and passenger circulation. The stations’ most striking feature, the roofs, create artificial landscapes meant to echo natural ice formations while simultaneously being reflections of the passenger circulation underneath.
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The Hungerburgbahn connects the vibrant city of Innsbruck with nature and it’s stations have become an integral part of Innsbruck’s cityscape - Innsbruck mayor Christine Oppitz-Plorer.
Together with the contractor Strabag, Zaha Hadid Architects won the competition to build the Hungerburgbahn in 2005. When completed, the stations were the world’s largest structures utilizing double-curved glass. The project was soon shortlisted for the Stirling Prize by the Royal Institue of British Architects in 2008.
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The glacial-inspired stations have become not only a shelter for Innsbruck’s public transit but also emblems to the city’s alpine character. Even 10 years later, the stations continue to attract visitors from around the world.
Innsbruck will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hungerburgbahn with events throughout the winter including architectural tours every Tuesday at 10:30 am in English and every Friday at 4:00 pm in German until 6 April 2018.
News via: Zaha Hadid Architects.
