STATION OF THE FUTURE
06 Nov 2018
With Hyperloop travel becoming our transport future, UNStudio has released their vision of the Station of the Future; envisioned as a hub of tessellating components that can adapt to a range of urban contexts.
Architecture firm UNStudio has partnered with Hardt, a European technology company, to present a vision for the Station of the Future. The plans would see Hyperloop used to provide transport between Amsterdam and Frankfurt in just 53 minutes.
“The Hyperloop is not only a realistic and viable alternative to flying, it is going to revolutionise travel,” says Ben van Berkel, principal architect and founder of UNStudio. “It will provide extremely fast travel times with direct connections between cities, enabling completely new ways of working and spending our leisure time, which in turn will lead to a multitude of economic, environmental and knowledge exchange benefits.”
The plans were presented in Utrecht at the first edition of Hypersummit, an event that focused on the possibility of realising the European Hyperloop. Developed as a sustainable alternative to air travel, hyperloop uses technology powered by solar panels and can provide the necessary energy to power itself. It intends to be the first ever 100 percent electric transport system that can safely transport a high volume of passengers from city to city at unprecedented speeds and journey times.
UNStudio’s Futures team was invited to join the Hardt Hyperloop implementation program to help integrate the system in cities and towns of different sizes and in different locations within these cities. In response, the firm drew up plans for the hyperloop transfer hub — a station that has been envisioned as a series of tessellating components that can adapt to a range of possible contexts: city-centre, edge of city, or adjoining an existing infrastructure hub, such as an airport.
The modular network would comprise both a super-high-speed network and more regional networks, which will connect urban areas and important hubs to the ultra-high-speed network. Inside the station, platforms are curved rather than orthogonal, while the configuration means that each module can hold a different function — from the luggage check-in or bicycle dock, to daycare for parents or small pocket parks.
The architects believe that Hyperloop stations could function as batteries for solar energy, potentially bringing a shift away from dependency on centralised power plants towards energy storage that connects to local micro-grids. “In the very near future, buildings will function as batteries, providing energy not only for their own immediate needs, but also for surrounding public amenities and transportation modes,” Ben van Berkel explains.
The speed of the system — 600-1000 kph — also allows fresh food, or even medicine, to be transported to urban centres, while stock could be replenished much more quickly. The design team says that this network could result in a system of mobile learning spaces, which connect various institutions. It is imagined that workplaces will also coalesce around Hyperloop stations, as hubs become natural meeting spaces for busy workers.
Research has shown that a potential Hyperloop journey between Amsterdam and Frankfurt could take just over 50 minutes, significantly less time than by train or plane (a 1.5-hour journey by plane). The route, which measures 450 kilometres, could carry more than 48 million passengers each year. It is estimated that the Hyperloop would offer a sustainable alternative for the approximately two million aircraft passengers on an annual basis, saving 83,690 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The Hyperloop system uses electric propulsion to accelerate a passenger or cargo vehicle through a tube in a low-pressure environment. An autonomous vehicle levitates above the track and glides at faster-than-airline speeds over long distances. After coming up with the idea, Elon Musk open-sourced Hyperloop technology, encouraging others to develop real-world solutions. Consequently, several companies have been formed, each seeking to build a functioning system.
This system opens up the possibilities for a faster and more efficient interconnected global society.