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Wallpaper* — In the frame: standout designs from around the globe

Press

French designer Ora ïto and rail company Alstom have unveiled their designs for Nice’s new tramway.

True to form, the design complies with Ora ïto’s ‘simplicity’ ideology, decoding the hi-tech with the user in mind, making it true to its intended purpose.

The Mediterranean city’s new tram is as much an achievement of design as it is democracy. Voted on by its citizens, the energy-efficient transport mode is created to ‘fit in’ with its surroundings. Invasive overhead cables have given way to a modern underground charging mechanism which will give the tram a seamless appearance. The elegant shape’s chameleon-like ochre pigments reflecting the facades of the emblematic buildings of the area as it zooms past.

Each 44-metre Alstom Citadis X05 train can accommodate 300 travellers, with 19 vehicles planned for the route thus far. Due to be delivered in the summer of 2017 and implemented the following year, Nice looks ready to roll.

Writer: Sam Rogers