Floating eco-skyscapers

With land becoming more and more unavailable for building and people recognising the need for greener ways of travelling, London-based Seymourpowell have joined forces with Korea's Samsung Construction to design a skyscraper-sized, kite-shaped airship that would offer low-cost eco-friendly travel as well as penthouse flats.

Seymour Powell design director Nick Talbot explained his radical idea to Design Week, "We got to thinking about proposals based on time being the real luxury in the future, and how you might travel if you had a lot of time.

"We looked at creating something that would look like a skyscraper when docked, and then magically lift into the sky."

Creating visual animations to show the airship, currently called the Aircruise in action, the team realised they needed to work out how the structure would dock. After all, most cities don't have enough space in them for a 270-tonne structure to land in the centre of them.

Judging from concept images, their solution is to instead build a docking platform in nearby rivers and lakes to prevent potential collisions and other accidents.

Powering the future

While airships may have been popular in the 1930s, the Hindenburg disaster and the dangers of hydrogen have seen them fall heavily from grace. However Seymourpowell are planning on utilising both solar power and a hydrogen drive to ensure the Aircruise travels at a leisurely speed of 90 mph.

It would be lifted by bags containing 330,000m3 of hydrogen gas and despite history's warnings, Talbot is convinced it is much safer these days. "Despite the perceived risks, hydrogen is used for its inherent lifting efficiency and as a power source."

Additional power would come from solar panel cells on the upper part of the craft.

The concept attracted the attention of Korean giant Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T), who previously cut their teeth on the current tallest man-made structure the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. With Seymourpowell, they devised the detailed computer animation seen below.

Seung Min Kim, design director at Samsung, said in a recent interview, "This was a dream concept project for us, helping to realise a future of sustainable buildings combined with innovative and luxury lifestyle.

"In an age when environmental impact is a key consideration for architecture, we are keen to extend this vision of the future by searching for solutions that can be realised by 2015 - the year that many futurologists foresee as the turning point for the future."

But who would use it?

While it is spectacular to look at and no doubt amazing to travel in, it takes its time - a journey from London to New York would take 37 hours for example.

The eco-consciousness of the project would attract a demographic, but possibly those that would appreciate the laid back aerial cruise experience. And it would appear to be this type of consumer that the company is targeting with its blend of airship and luxury hotel.

The Airship would feature, for those with the money, four duplex apartments and five smaller apartments with a penthouse apartment and bar/lounge/communal areas. This exclusive luxury hotel would have something that no other hotel could be able to offer - ever-changing breath-taking views from 30 miles up.

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