12 August 2022 · By Richard Waite

London-based William Matthews Associates has won its third major competition in the Czech Republic this year – this time for a new cable car in Prague

In April the practice, best known for its Stirling Prize shortlisted Tintagel Castle footbridge, scooped the contest for a £7.5 million bridge in Brno, before landing the commission to design a 450m-long office scheme for Czech railways company Správa železnic in July.

Now it has beaten Snøhetta, Grimshaw and local outfit OV-Architects to win the international competition for the new cable car system across the Vltava River in the Troja valley, north of the Czech capital.

Organised by Prague Public Transport (DPP), the competition called for a cableway design, including three stations and five pylons, to link the densely populated but poorly connected districts of Dejvice and Bohnice to central Prague.

Adam Scheinherr, Prague's deputy mayor for transport and chair of the DPP supervisory board, described the team’s winning proposal as ‘elegant’ and the competition entry that ‘fitted best into its surroundings’.

William Matthews Associates is working with Prague-based Boele Architects, Expedition Engineering, Czech firm Agile Engineering and cable transport specialists DCSA.

The cable car system is set to open in 2026.

Linking the left and right banks of the Vltava River, the cableway passes through one of the most important natural features of the capital: the Troja valley. The design of the stations is sympathetic to this environment with compact, efficient buildings that are unified by a single geometric roof concept but respond to their local context at ground level.

The lower part of each station differentiates itself by responding to the local context:  Podbaba’s setting is urban – connected to Prague’s city centre; Troja’s is natural - set into the fascinating landscape of Troja valley; and Bohnice is located at the edge of a residential quarter and creating a new transport hub cultivating the adjacent public space.

In each case, the platforms are simple, open floorplates, that allow the passengers to experience the surrounding environment with views up and down the Troja valley.

The unique natural setting required a sensitive approach to the five pylons that will be visible from across the capital. They have been designed as a simple form that elegantly integrates all the cableway’s structural and technical requirements. Two rectangular steel sections with a parallel gap rise up to two wings that fold out.

The wings provide a structural function, giving stability to the cable car rails and integrating the cable inspection supports. They also hide the access ladders and technical apparatus that would otherwise create visual clutter at the top of the pylon. This strategy allows for a cleaner silhouette for a look that will be more sculptural than industrial.

The design of the landscaping around the stations has been conceived to complement the character of the Troja basin with the buildings being visually absorbed into their surroundings.  Tree groves consisting of native and domesticated fast-growing species will help blend the architecture into the landscape.

The proposed vegetation will also have a major impact on the environment of the stations, creating a beneficial microclimate at ground level, reducing dust, improving acoustics, and providing shade.

Project Cable car between Podbaba–Troja–Bohnice Address Prague, Czech Republic Gross internal area 6,250m2 (approximate) Construction budget Confidential Competition date July 2022 Anticipated completion 2026 Client The Transport Authority of Prague Architect William Matthews Associates Czech architect Boele Architects UK engineer Expedition Engineering Czech engineer Agile Engineering Technical Consultant DCSA

Tags Cable car Czech Republic William Matthews Associates

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