Chicago Skyline aerial cable car

[ #inspiration #Chcago #Travel ]Architecture firms Davis Brody Bond and Marks Barfield Architects have teamed up to design the ‘Chicago Skyline‘, an aerial cable car attraction linking Navy Pier, the Chicago Lakefront, the Riverwalk running alongside the Chicago River, and downtown Chicago.

The Chicago Skyline is a sophisticated, environmentally friendly aerial cable car that will be a unique urban experience. Marks Barfield Architects, designers of the hugely successful London Eye, and Davis Brody Bond have designed state-of-the-art, custom-designed passenger pods or ‘gondolas’, that will enable visitors to appreciate the city’s lakefront, skyline and world-class architecture in a completely new way.


In the tradition of the early Loop, the City Beautiful movement, and generations of Chicago skyscrapers, the Skyline blends modern engineering with deeply rooted architectural values. The Skyline was inspired by practical need, in this case connecting the cultural and recreational nucleus of Navy Pier with downtown transportation nodes. As it skirts and energizes the newly developed Riverwalk, its design brings a quiet sense of unity and animation to Chicago’s populated urban core.

The design shares many similarities with the pill-like capsules surrounding the London Eye, which was also designed by Marks Barfield Architects. This year-round attraction will operate into the evening hours, offering a unique experience and magnificent views.

“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,” says David Marks, Director at Marks Barfield Architects. “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.”




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