Canada's First Ever Funicular Opens in Downtown Edmonton

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Last week marked the opening of Canada’s first ever funicular in downtown Edmonton, a cable-mechanized incline elevator aimed at making the city’s largest green space more accessible.

Publically funded, the $24million project features the 100 Street Funicular to transport mobility aids, strollers, and bikes, as well as a generous staircase for walking, running and lounging. Concrete sitting blocks are dispersed up the 170 steps from a promenade at the bottom. Visitors can walk along the promenade to a lookout point or ascend the stairs or funicular to the raised lookout for extensive views of the river valley.

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Dialog, the architecture firm who designed it, said of the project:

The materiality and overall form of the project are heavily influenced by the existing connective infrastructure of the city’s river valley system. The river valley is connected by a series of meandering wood stairs, boardwalks, and weathering steel foot bridges and this is an experience that is reinforced through the design.

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Kebony wood, used on the boardwalk and as cladding, gives a warmth to the project and softens the concrete structure. Both materials were chosen for their durability, with Kebony wood designed to last six times longer than pressure-treated timber. The funicular is sure to become a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike.

News via: Kebony