Exemplars

After speaking to my tutor last week, I have decided that I am going to design a transport station for the envisioned pod system which appears within our future vision. Along with this, it was determined a good idea to also look at how the pods themselves will work. Not only in terms of function, but also ergonomics and procedure such as payment and timetabling etc.

As a result first I decided to look at examples of new pod transport which were already in existence, and hopefully over time I can abstract them to match the future scenarios.

From the first assignment it was already detemined how these pods would work, they would be;

Automated
High Speed
Futuristic
Frequent
Moderately sized
Stop at all stations
Automatic doors
Sustainable

These criteria limited the design on these pods. Some examples can be seen below.


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/images/2008/10/15/podcars.jpg

When looking at these exemplars it became clear that most modern pod systems have the same exterior aesthetic. However, this example in particular show the various aspects of windows, doors, tracks and lights which must be a necessity in the design of such tranport systems. These example also shows the idea of an automated system, including the track on which the pod sits and how that produces power in the capsule.


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/images/2008/10/15/podcar06_2.jpg

This exemplar shows some ideas of scale, including how big these pods need to be to accommodate a certain number of passengers. It can be seen that a fairly small capsule can provide enough space for four adults to comfortably sit. Therefore these pods do not need to be too large to suit a large number of people, but should be designed efficiently to provide enough comfort.


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bwpdUUvpJDfx8jwwz4XyG7420d5VmMsYd_n6L82MD1L_IsWc0MvJ-LAY7GJAHQKiI0T-jCCIbH389hdjyERD6vRr8WCFo5J7KAYI7MV_uMNpNP7HpcXDjfJTN1JTcq81SYW47c2p9g_C/s1600/masdar+city4-podcar-abu-dhabi.jpg

This exemplar comes from the new masdar city in Abu Dhabi, which has been designed by Norman Foster. It provides a different alternative to the above examples in the fact that the idea is turned on its head, literally. This pod system runs along tracks above it rather than on a road of platform below it. As a result the system appears more open and free, with less structure and more visual camoflage within the city.


http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/masdar-prt-01.jpg

This example is simply another pod system, albeit with more futuristic aesthetic and appeal to it. While it is also automated, there is a lack of track or structure which the pod runs along and is more of a paved roadway.