At some point in the past year or so, you have probably heard the term “hyperloop” thrown around as the future of transportation. Elon Musk first unveiled the concept of a hyperloop in 2013, Dezeen reports. Since that time, however, he open-sourced the technology and is no longer directly involved with the development.
This gave other companies, such as Hyperloop One, the opportunity to take the hyperloop from concept to reality. The company describes its hyperloop system on its website by writing, “The system uses electric propulsion to accelerate a passenger or cargo vehicle through a tube in a low pressure environment. The autonomous vehicle levitates slightly above the track and glides at faster-than-airline speeds over long distances. We eliminate direct emissions, noise, delay, weather concerns and pilot error.”
The idea of a hyperloop may seem more science fiction than fact, but it is actually grounded in reality. Hyperloop One, with the help of Danish design firm BIG, has big plans of connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi via a hyperloop, bringing travel time between the two cities down to just 12 minutes. Riyadh would be reached in 48 minutes, Doha in 23 minutes, and Muscat in 27 minutes. The hyperloop pods that hold the passengers and their cargo will be able to reach speeds of up to 1,100 kilometers per hour.
BIG’s designs show the Dubai station, dubbed the “portal” due to its sunken and circular styling, situated at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, according to the most recent information from Dezeen.
Each pod has room for six people and is loaded onto a transporter vessel attached to a chassis, although, the pods will differ with plans for specific offerings for business, lounge, and single. The pods themselves are autonomous and can leave the transporter, travel onto regular roads, and pick up passengers at any point, according to BIG.
The portal eliminates waiting halls through the use of frequent arrival and departure times.
Along with BIG, engineering firms AECOM and Arup are also working with Hyperloop One in an effort to become the first team to build a hyperloop system. Hyperloop One tested its propulsion technology earlier this year near Las Vegas and achieved speeds of 187 kilometers per hour in 1.1 seconds.
Currently, Hyperloop One’s top competitor is Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which has a test track under construction in California and plans to connect Budapest, Vienna, and Bratislava with a hyperloop in the near future.
You can watch a video from BIG detailing how Hyperloop One’s system would work and be laid out below.
Courtesy of BIG
Courtesy of BIG
Courtesy of BIG
Related Stories
Urban Planning | Dec 4, 2017
Sports ‘districts’ are popping up all over America
In downtown Minneapolis, the city’s decision about where to build the new U.S. Bank Stadium coincided with an adjacent five-block redevelopment project.
Urban Planning | Dec 4, 2017
Can you spark an urban renaissance?
Thoughtful design, architecture, and planning can accelerate and even create an urban renaissance.
Urban Planning | Nov 20, 2017
Creating safer streets: Solutions for high-crash locations
While there has been an emphasis on improving safety along corridors, it is equally important to focus on identifying potential safety issues at intersections.
Urban Planning | Nov 16, 2017
Business groups present a new vision of Downtown Houston as that city’s unavoidable hub
The plan, which took 18 months to complete, emphasizes the centrality of downtown to the metro’s eight counties.
Architects | Oct 30, 2017
City 2050: What will your city look like in 2050?
What do we think the future will look like 30 years or so from now? And what will City: 2050 be like?
Great Solutions | Oct 17, 2017
Loop NYC would reclaim 24 miles of park space from Manhattan’s street grid
A new proposal leverages driverless cars to free up almost all of Manhattan’s Park Avenue and Broadway for pedestrian paths.
Mixed-Use | Aug 2, 2017
Redevelopment of Newark’s Bears Stadium site receives team of architects
Lotus Equity Group selected Michael Green Architecture, TEN Aquitectos, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, and Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners to work on the project.
Urban Planning | Jul 21, 2017
Streets as storytellers: Defining places and connecting people
“In a city the street must be supreme. It is the first institution of the city. The street is a room by agreement, a community room, the walls of which belong to the donors, dedicated to the city for common use.” – Louis Kahn
Urban Planning | Jun 26, 2017
Convenience and community lead the suburban shift
As the demand for well-connected urban locales increases, so too has the cost of property and monthly rent; and as suburbs typically offer a bargain on both, more people are looking for a compromise.
Office Buildings | Jun 12, 2017
At 11.8 million-sf, LG Science Park is the largest new corporate research campus in the world
The project is currently 75% complete and on schedule to open in 2018.
