Nascent eVTOL “flying automotive” racing league Airspeeder has introduced a collaboration with famend structure agency HOK to introduce the “SkyDeck,” described because the world’s first modular race vertiport. This solar-powered hub will provide followers 360-degree views of the eVTOLs racing by way of the air, bringing a brand new stage of immersion to motorsports.
Airspeeder is an electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown (eVTOL) racing league headquartered in London, first introduced in November 2021. The league operates as an entity of Alauda Aeronautics – an electrical aviation firm primarily based in Adelaide, Australia, the place the league’s headquarters and testing grounds are situated. Alauda additionally designs, engineers, and builds the league’s devoted eVTOL racing plane known as “Airspeeders.”
Since its preliminary launch, we’ve seen Alauda and Airspeeder assemble groups of racers that competed in improvement races on the way in which to a complete world competitors known as the EXA Collection. Within the fall of 2022, we obtained our first glimpse of the joy an eVTOL racing league may convey to motorsport fanatics when Airspeeder showcased its first-ever EXA racing occasion.
On the time, Airspeeder pilots like Zephatali Walsh, who ended up profitable the inaugural EXA Collection Championship in December 2023, competed remotely from the bottom. The purpose of Airspeeder and the EXA Collection has all the time been to ship crewed “flying automotive” races, which ought to occur utilizing Mk4 eVTOLs, which have been unveiled in early February.
So as to add much more expertise to a novel and thrilling new motorsport, Airspeeder has not too long ago collaborated with HOK to design a brand new modular vertiport, which can enable future spectators to go to and expertise aerial motion up shut with 360-degree views. You may see extra within the video under.
Airspeeder seems to be to revolutionize flying automotive races for followers
Airspeeder shared particulars of its new modern design collaboration known as “SkyDeck,” which is a modular flying automotive race vertiport and occasion area developed with HOK’s Sports activities + Leisure staff primarily based in London.
HOK introduced expertise in growing and constructing distinctive design tasks like LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B in New York Metropolis, Mercedes-Benz Stadium the place the Atlanta Falcons play, and the Etihad Area on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Collectively, HOK and Airspeeder shared they’ve been capable of think about a brand new artistic area for EXA Collection spectators that additionally addresses the distinctive challenges of flying automotive races. Per John Rhodes, director of Sports activities + Leisure at HOK:
It’s extremely thrilling to design a model new sports activities typology. Airspeeder challenged us to attract on our many years of experience designing for F1 and different sporting occasions whereas additionally imagining a bodily atmosphere for the longer term.
The results of these efforts its the SkyDeck, a brand new fully-modular eVTOL vertiport that’s 100% solar-powered as a part of Airspeeder’s “go away no hint” philosophy of sustainability in motorsports. The preliminary design seen above gives area for as much as 10 groups and 20 Airspeeders. Nonetheless, its modularity permits room for steady growth to the construction with the intention to meet the evolving wants of the younger aerial sport because it grows.
This new hub design is exclusive in that it sits straight beneath the airborne racetrack. The vertical nature of this setup gives a spectators an immersive 360-degree expertise, the place they will observe the race grid and end line from one spot.
HOK has additionally helped design an “airside” zone throughout the SkyDeck, the place groups have protected workspaces that followers can see and watch behind the scenes motion. These zones additionally embody retractable touchdown pads for mid-race pit stops to vary batteries. Stephen Sidlo, Airspeeder’s world media & advertising and marketing director, additionally spoke:
We imagine that flying automotive racing will provoke a brand new mobility revolution, advancing eVTOL and EV expertise to learn the complete trade. This collaboration with HOK represents not only a new sport however the way forward for high-speed, sustainable mobility.
As if flying automotive races weren’t distinctive sufficient to the world of motorsport, Airspeeder and HOK imagine the SkyDeck, which might be erected within the desert of Australia, is first-of-its-kind strategy for followers that can mix cutting-edge design with interactive digital experiences.
Airspeeder seems to be to proceed its EXA flying automotive race collection with 10 crewed groups in 2025. You may see extra of the design plans for the SkyDeck in Airspeeder’s video under:
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