Max Holstein

Design University Projekt 2017

In designing this mobility concept, I was not only interested in creating an alternative to public transport, but also in designing a means of transport that expands the infrastructure of a growing city and has the potential to be a popular alternative to the automobile. 

Hessen's location in one of the most economically dynamic regions in Europe offers many advantages for private individuals and companies. Every day, people commute to Darmstadt, Frankfurt or the other surrounding cities to work. The resulting challenge of public transportation was the reason for me to develop a concept in my project to expand local transportation without having to use existing infrastructure.

At first it was important to analyse the traffic situation of the respective city (in this case City of Darmstadt).

This includes traffic analysis and traffic prognosis, user behaviour and trends in terms of public transport, urban growth and potential. The second area is the infrastruktur: Which infrastructural measures make sense?

In addition, it is important to guide the planned routes through areas where both nature and local residents are least affected. Furthermore, rescue access routes, mast heights and distances and much more must be considered.

Subject area three deals with the technical aspects of the ropeway system. For example the examination of existing systems, considerations for further development and improvement, station sequence, etc.

This is followed by the design of the cabin, which consists mainly of two core areas. The user experience and user needs in the cabin and the external impact on the environment, other road users, land- and cityscape, functional signs, aesthetic quality.

The interior offers 10 seats and 5 standing seats, as well as two bicycle stands with space for wheelchair users and strollers. Spacious benches with dividers and large open spaces increase comfort and privacy.

In general it was very important to present an alternative to the automobile and to offer at least the same advantages as privacy, safety and comfort. Only then I see a chance that people switch from cars to public transport and help to reduce pollution in cities.

In addition to the advantages of punctuality and speed, in order to convince people to integrate ropeway systems into local public transportation in the long term, I have been working intensively on the pain points and needs of commuters.

This is reflected in the zoning of the interior in

A) Functional Entrance

B) Panorama seats

C) Homelike Materials and curtain like rear windows

D) Privacy Area

The main target group of the cable car concept are commuters. But commuters also have a wide range of expectations in terms of public transport. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to include different scenarios of use in the development of an urban cable car.

Use Case 1: Commuters
In this scenario, the focus is on the commute to work. Topics such as remote working as well as relaxation and everyday functionalism must be considered. The vehicle (picture left) has a parking space for trolleys and provides a homelike atmosphere with its friendly CMF. In addition, noise cancelling panels integrated into the curtain ensure particularly quiet indoor areas.

Use Case 2: School children
The path to school involves a range of emotions, from excitement to boredom to fear. In this scenario, the focus is on child safety, the joy of learning and being together. Smart surfaces and windows invite creative development and set no limits. Functional areas for taking bicycles and scooters along as well as hooks for school bags can be found in this interior concept.

Use Case 3: System operator
Ropeways have a drawback, namely the low level of capacity utilisation between the core operating periods. During this period, a relatively large number of personnel is required for a system with low capacity utilisation. To counteract this, thoughts are given in this scenario to the topic of load pooling. The cable car between the peaks can be used to transport cargo and goods to shops, intermediate stations and parcel lockers. The elements used to secure the seats can also be equipped with eyelets for tension belts. Extensive area displays provide the loading teams with feedback on cargo routes, loading limits and simplify the organisational effort via networking elements in the interior and ensure a transparent logistics supply chain.

Due to the high flexibility of detachable cabins, the modular design and the low construction and operating costs, cable cars offer great potential to expand public transport.

The 3S-Plus System is a concept for the continuation of the three-cable car system. With this concept, the cabin is located between the ropes, similar to a rope rider or the rope clamp. The positioning between the two carrying ropes and a centric pull rope allows an even higher wind stability and a better weight distribution on the carrying ropes. This can possibly lead to a longer service life of the ropes to be mounted. The horizontal, cushioning gondola arms resting at four points also make it possible to make cable cars appear as safe as they are.

As you can see, at first glance there is no direct orientation of the cabin. The main lines tighten and rejuvenate the shape to the front and back equally. The reason for this is that - in contrast to the automobile - the acceleration of the cable car does not play any specific role. The advantage of the cable car is a constant speed over traffic jams and other delays.