Zeppelins and circular runways define airports of the future
Every year, Fentress Architects sponsors a global challenge for students to explore "future design possibilities in public architecture," where the winner gets cash, a paid internship and a part in a major museum exhibition. The 2011 challenge asked students to share their ideas for airports of the future, and the results are in, featuring floating islands, circular runways and zeppelins.
The winning design, pictured above, went to Oliver Andrew's LDN Delta Airport. It's a bunch of artificial floating islands tethered in the middle of the Thames river, and the only way on or off is through public transportation, no cars allowed. There are no check-in desks or anything either, with all of that kind of thing being taken care of through mobile tech. The airport makes its own energy with tidal generators, and it's easy to expand by just hooking on more islands. You might notice a pronounced lack of runways in this picture, and that's because there aren't any. This is the future, and the airport is designed around "vertical takeoff hypersonic jets capable of flying at the edge of space."
Below, have a look at some of the other winners and honorable mentions, including giant zeppelin hangars, airports on bridges, and runways that are circular instead of straight.
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Pocket Airports, by Alexander Nevarez,
Art Center College of Design. âThis scheme resurrects the images of the era of airships with masts rising from the city mooring the great machines with all of the romance that travel should imply. The integration of travel into an urban grid is a concept with great appeal that recalls the arrival of the train into the core of the city.â
Aero Loop, by Thor Yi Chun, University of Science of Malaysia. While we like the idea of using a banked racetrack to enable aircraft to take off in a smaller space, we're not as sure whether landings are going to be quite so simple.
Airport Bridge, by Ryu Ri, Kookmin University, Korea
The Airport of the Future, Los Angeles, California, by
Martin Sztyk, University College London. "This proposal for the Airport of the Future is self-sustaining through the use of algae grown in nearby farms as a renewable resource. The architecture of the Airport of the Future is experiential as it intends to be a destination in itself. The future of airships and non-atmospheric flight intersects with runways, tarmacs, trains, highways and the conventional infrastructure of Los Angeles."
LDN Delta Airport, by Oliver Andrew,
London South Bank University.
LDN Delta Airport, by Oliver Andrew,
London South Bank University.
LDN Delta Airport, by Oliver Andrew,
London South Bank University.
