At the Uber Elevate Summit this week, architecture and design firm Corgan revealed their Uber Mega Skyport concept, CONNECT, providing the infrastructure to support and scale UberAIR service. The firm’s plans support vertical take-off and landing, passenger throughput and maintenance for a fleet of aerial vehicles with the flexibility to scale up to 1,000 landings per hour—revolutionizing point to point transport into a seamlessly integrated urban ecosystem.
Corgan’s modular system is adaptable anywhere and can operate independently, be paired for efficiency, or be stacked to maximize throughput at Uber Mega Skyports. Where individual landing pads provide on-demand connectivity at popular locations, Corgan’s design coordinates with established highway networks to create new travel arteries that can accommodate the higher throughput required of mass adoption. Built above highways, the design solves for widespread infrastructure by repurposing familiar frameworks and amplifying efficiency and convenience to create a new culture of urban mobility while reconnecting the communities they serve.
Corgan’s CONNECT module consists of four components. The Bridge is a futuristic structural piece sculpted by passenger flow helping visitors navigate the Skyport. The Connection Plaza is an iconic entry to the amenities at the Station, a concourse, which connects passengers to the crowning Flight Deck.
In addition to massive scalability, CONNECT provides solutions to potential challenges in getting eVTOLs off the ground. Situating Skyports within existing highways and noise corridors minimizes added noise and intrusion. Floor movement and tug propulsion strategies allow for safer, longer passenger loading and unloading without backing up operations. Corgan also explored three major configurations to meet throughput demand, limit movement near the launching areas, and provide for intuitive wayfinding. The modular design is flexible for several site conditions including open fields, rooftops and site constrained urban environments.
Corgan’s CONNECT concept not only services Uber pick-up and drop-off zones and public transit through the Connection Plaza, but also functions as a community destination to reconnect the urban fabric. The amenity-rich Station offers daily commuters, stadiums full of football fans, and tourists alike a dynamic place to shop, dine, or visit an art show.
Corgan was one of only six firms selected to present during this year’s Uber Elevate Summit. “Our expertise in aviation design coupled with our vision for future air travel allowed this project to dovetail with our existing urban air research,” said John Trupiano, Principal in Corgan’s Aviation studio. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to not only visualize what could be, but start to see things become a reality.”
Advancing aerial travel is part of Corgan’s heritage and has motivated recent research related to designing the holdroom of the future, advanced wayfinding techniques and an airport that fights jet lag.
