3S Cable Car Glacier Express

The cable car 'Trockener Steg – Klein Matterhorn' is part of the project that will connect Cervina in Italy with Zermatt in 2021 with a panoramic ride via Klein Matterhorn - the Matterhorn always in view. The new 3S cable car replaces the aerial tramway, which was not very reliable due to its susceptibility to wind. The new cable car is more wind-stable and has a higher capacity. At the extremely exposed location at 3820 m a. s. l. on the western flank of the 3883-metre-high Klein Matterhorn in Zermatt, the cable car station of the new three-cable circulating cable car is probably the highest wooden building in Europe. The crystalline building form takes up the design language of the existing cable car station and discreetly embeds the large building volume in the landscape. The west facade is completely covered with partially transparent photovoltaic panels and allows the arrival hall to shine in a friendly, almost sacral light, depending on the weather.

Client: Zermatt Bergbahnen AG, Zermatt
Year of construction: 2016 – 2019
Photos: Studio Willen