Invitation: Design the Future of Green Mobility in Urban China
China is booming!
Bursting at the seams with people on the move, an economy experiencing double digit economic growth every year, more miles of high speed rail than all countries combined, more skyscrapers, more cars, more people- everything about China is big.
Design is playing a central role in the growth of China and nowhere is this more evident than at the crossroads of urban transportation planning and the automotive industry. As new cities are being developed more emphasis is being given to creating innovative, sustainable solutions for meeting the mobility needs of people
Join us this summer as we do a deep dive into China- exploring its transportation systems, experiencing cross culture learning with students from China, America and Europe- this experience is sure to have a lifelong impact.
With Hong Kong as a base teams of students will fan out across the South China region experiencing inter urban travel by ferries and buses, trains and cars. Even ride the world’s longest escalator. Your experienced tutors will focus your design attention on an area of marsh land between Shenzhen and Hong Kong that is being planned for development- a closed loop sustainable area for living working and playing. You and your teammates will be asked to address the larger context of this urban area and discover the opportunity for innovation with unique and discreet mobility solutions- be it a car, a bicycle, a bus or train- anything goes.
The School of Design @Hong Kong Polytechnic University will cover the cost of accommodations, project materials and supplies, and transportation within the PRD. Your students will need to pay for transportation to HK and meals. The workshop is from June 01 to July 15, 2011 (tentative).
If you are interested and commited to participate in this unique opportunity, please download, complete, scan and email the application form back to Prof. Smith.
For further information please contact:
Martin Smith
Chair Professor of Industrial Design
School of Design
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong
(852)2766 5477 office
(852)2774 5067 fax
sdmartin@polyu.edu.hk
www.sd.polyu.edu.hk
Project Outline
The four international student groups worked on mobility solutions for the Lok Ma Chau Loop, a major urban development project to be conducted jointly by Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The research part of the e:motive owrkshop was carried out in Shenzhen by the students under the guidance of Joanne Healy from the CCS in Detroit and e-motive's Fred Han. Four levels of transportation resulted: mass, commercial, luxury private and individual. Each group worked on one subject, considering the user's needs and expectations, integration with the other means of transport, sustainabilty, visual aspects as well as potential cost and feasibilty.
Students came from The College of Design of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA) in China, the College for Creative Studies in Detroit in the USA, and the Hong Kong PolyU's School of Design and Mechanical Engineering departments. Each group consisted of members from each school and department so that both design and engineering questions could be treated comprehensively.
Final Presentation
The proect being of major interest and importance to Hong Kong, we had the pleasure of the presence of members from Hong Kong SAR's planning department's Strategic Planning Section and ARUP, a major design and construction company involved in the Lok Ma Chau Loop development. Prof. Smith welcomed our guests and introduced the project.
The first presentation related to the mass transport question; the group elected to design an innovative upper/lower monorail travelling in opposite direction linking key points of traffic interest.
Modern trains inlcuding various seating arrangements and advanced station design with elaborated passenger flow to and from the trains:
The final presentation report can be downloaded here:
The second projec involved the luxury personal transport via a self-guided single passenger vehicle with electric drivetrain. This ultra-luxury means of transport is designed to give CEOs and the like the most trouble free and relaxing way to move about the area with the greatest possible efficieny, namely by dedicated roads for them.
Workshop leader Fred Han (second from left) is posing with the team, who elected to represent their idea with a clay model:
The summary of their solution can be downloaded by clicking the following icon:
The third project involved individual transportation at the other end of the luxury scale - by tricycle, mainly aimed at the numrous future university students. It is a rented vehicle with electric assistance and inlcudes a minimalistic roof protecting the rider from sun and rain.
The design of the parking/charging station was also part of the project, as was the booking via a personal mobile device.
Q&A followed the presentation, namely by Prof. Smith...
The project's highlights are available in the report you can download via the link here:
The fouth project offers a potential solution for commercial needs; it is a modular vehicle that will be owned by companies and operated either automatically or by its employees. Various body styles can be factory ordered and will fit the same basic rolling chassis, thus cutting cost. It is also possible to have a custom body designed and fitted to enhance a company's visual appearance.
The vehicle includes solar cells mounted on a separat roof structure that shields the vehicles main body from direct sun radiation and provides heat insulation via the air cushion inbetween the roof and the body.
Intense Q&A by ARUP and members of the HK planning department, with Prof. Lee (second from the left) from e:motive joining the discussions.
The details of this project are here:
Completion of the six very intesive weeks was awarded during a ceremony; all students got their certificat individually from Prof. Smith and Fred Hahn. Team members proudly posing with Prof Smith and workshop instructors Fred Han and Urs Stemmler, who joined during the Hong Kong based part. Click the image for full resolution.
As a conclusion, drinks and snacks rounded off the project. Animated discussion and tired groups of students... Well done ladies and gents!
Information relating to last year's workshop can found here.