SEJONG, South Korea -- There is a five-and-a-half mile bike path sitting in the middle of an eight-lane highway, topped with a solar panel that lights up the streets below in South Korea.
But this is no regular bike path. What started as an idea to produce clean energy while simultaneously giving people a place to exercise, South Korea built this eco-friendly cycle lane that connects the cities of Daejeon to Sejong -- the administrative capital of South Korea -- in 2014.
The 13-foot-wide path set in the middle of a highway is unique in South Korea, where most bicycle paths are built adjacent to pedestrian roads. But what really makes the path stand out is its one-of-a-kind feature -- a solar panel-lined roof.
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Kaohsiung Train Station by Mecanoo, Kaohsiung Train Station design, Kaohsiung Train Station green roof, Mecanoo in Taiwan, Mecanoo architecture in Taiwan, Dutch architecture in Taiwan, green-roofed train station
Related: Mecanoo wins competition to design the Tainan Public Library with natural materials
“The station’s large curvilinear shaped canopy reaches out to the city in a powerful gesture, acting as a green connector that unifies different modes of transport, and represents Kaohsiung’s vision for the future as a sustainable city,” writes Mecanoo. The landscaped canopy shields a shaded open public plaza from the harsh sun and offers a space for community events such as farmers’ markets and festivals. The architects will also move the colonial Japanese station building to the project site to showcase an interesting juxtaposition between traditional and contemporary design. The project is expected to be complete by 2023.
https://inhabitat.com/mecanoo-designs-gorgeous-green-roofed-train-station-for-kaohsiung/
Bjarke Ingels Group and A+Architecture have revealed the design for the 12,000-square-meter Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub in Toulouse, France. The project will expand the functionality of the city’s central station, Gare Matabiau, strengthening the area’s public transport networks by creating a hub for bus, railway, and metro, all connected under one roof. The design of the new hub takes cues from the city’s distinctive roofscape and the traditional use of the rose-colored “foraine” brick, employing a mass timber structure and low-carbon concrete to ensure a sustainable intervention adapted to its environment. The Hub is set to begin construction in 2026.
The Stockholm subway system is often described as the world’s largest art museum — for the price of a Metro ticket, you can enjoy impressive works of art spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s. The Metro spans more than 110 kilometers, and 90 of the 100 stations in the system have been decorated with world-class murals and sculptures from 150 different artists.
The T-Centralen station — the city’s central subway station — which was designed by Per Olof Ultvedt in 1975, is perhaps the most iconic of them all, and it features massive blue-and-white paintings on its cave-like ceilings. With its bright red walls and ceiling, the Solna Centrum station looks otherworldly. The Kungsträdgården subway station has been designed to look like an archaeological dig, and it features the remains of Stockholm’s old Makalös palace. And the Östermalmstorg stations features art by Siri Derkert that focuses on themes that include the environment and women’s rights.
https://inhabitat.com/stockholms-subway-system-is-the-worlds-largest-underground-art-museum/
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