XPeng unveils plans to launch road-capable flying car in 2024

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng has revealed its concept for a flying car that would also be capable of driving on the road, which the company plans to release as soon as 2024.

XPeng revealed the renderings of the unnamed electric flying vehicle at its annual 1024 Tech Day, where it showcases its latest innovations.

XPeng plans to release its flying car by 2024 and retail it for less than £114,000

The road-capable flying car is being developed by the company's urban air mobility (UAM) affiliate HT Aero.

Unlike most current UAM vehicle concepts, HT Aero's would be capable of functioning both in the skies and on the roads, and will have a foldable dual rotor mechanism that converts it from a car to a flying machine.

The renders suggest the vehicle will be equipped with a steering wheel for driving and a single lever for flight.

The concept is one of the few to envisage a flying car capable of driving on the roads as well as taking to the skies

According to TechCrunch, Xpeng is aiming to set a retail price of less than one million Chinese yuan (£114,000) for the vehicle, which will be more understated than the depiction in the current renderings.

The vehicle will include an environmental perception system that can evaluate the surroundings and weather conditions to make sure it can take-off and land safely at the desired destination.

While it will be manually controlled, a perception and flight control algorithm will help the pilot to avoid obstacles during flight.

The car would have both a steering wheel for driving and a lever for flying

Xpeng plans to sell the vehicle directly to consumers and sees it operating in urban environments.

The vehicle is an evolution of the company's previous two-seater flying car concept, the Traveler X2, also developed by HT Aero.

HT Aero aspires to be the leader in the field of UAM and has raised US$500 million in a funding round earlier this month.

Alongside the flying car, XPeng also revealed new versions of its driver assistance system, supercharging technology and a robot prototype in the shape of a pony at its 1024 Tech Day.

XPeng envisions the vehicle being used in urban environments at low altitudes

"Our exploration of more efficient, safer, carbon-neutral mobility solutions goes far beyond just smart EVs, and is the cornerstone of our long-term competitive advantages," said XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng.

"We strive to implement cutting-edge mobility technologies in mass-production models for the benefit of our customers."

It has scheduled the new vehicle for mass production in 2024.

XPeng unveiled the flying car concept along with other innovations at its annual 1024 Tech Day

A number of companies are vying to be among the first to bring "flying cars" to the urban skyline. This term has been increasingly used in recent years to refer to personal aircraft concepts and prototypes that feature electrical vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) technology.

Hyundai's European operations chief Michael Cole recently said he expects to see this technology in use before the end of this decade.

Hyundai has a partnership with Uber to develop flying taxis, while others working on similar technology include German company Lilium and US-based Kitty Hawk and Boeing.

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MET Studio creates immersive exhibition within Foster + Partners' Dubai Expo Mobility Pavilion

London-based design consultancy MET Studio has created a series of exhibits that tell the history of mobility within a Foster + Partners-designed Dubai Expo pavilion.

Created as one of three thematic pavilions at the coronavirus-delayed Dubai Expo 2020, the Mobility Pavilion looks at the "past, present and future of movement" through a series of immersive spaces.

MET Studio chose not to exhibit varied forms of transport, but focus on the "spirit of mobility" for the installations.

MET Studio designed the immersive exhibition within the Mobility Pavilion

"Rather than simply focusing on planes, trains and automobiles, we wanted the story to reference the human spirit of mobility," said MET Studio creative director Peter Karn.

"As a species, we have always asked 'where to next?' This formed the basis of our story."

The world's largest passenger lift takes visitors to the top of the pavilion

Visitors to the pavilion, which was designed by UK studio Foster+ Partners, enter the building from one of three entrances placed between its three distinctive large petals that cantilever outwards from the building's base.

They are then raised in a circular passenger lift, which the expo's organisers claim is the largest in the world and can hold 160 people, to the top of the pavilion.

From here they descend through the immersive exhibitions, which were arranged in three large galleries – one within each of the building's petal forms.

Weta Workshop designed a trio of nine-metre-high figures for the first main exhibition space

"We created three distinct 'acts' featuring key characters, depicted as giants of mobility," said Karn.

"Each character is from a totally different moment in history but they all share the same passion of looking beyond, creating our future – whether an Arab scholar, a tech expert or a child dreaming of infinite possibilities."

A relief showing the history of transportation is also in the first room

The first gallery is focused on the history of transport and is arranged around photo-realistic figures of three people from the Islamic Golden Age.

The nine-metre-tall characters were created by New Zealand-based special effects and prop company Weta Workshop, which is best known for its work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Surrounding the characters is a wall relief that depicts the history of transportation.

The second room is focused on the modern day

In the second gallery, which is focused on the modern day, current movements of people, goods and information around the world are projected onto a large globe.

Screens also show a series of interviews and visitors can have their face digitally placed within a model of an astronaut.

The third gallery focuses on the future and "a vision of the city of tomorrow" with bright colours depicting the flow of data.

Read:

Foster + Partners wraps Dubai Expo Mobility Pavilion in stainless steel fins

"Each act, although connected through the narrative has a very distinct and varied approach," said Karn.

"It was really important to us that audiences were going to constantly be surprised by each new section."

The third room is focused on the future

MET Studio aimed to create a series of installations that use a wide range of media to keep visitors entertained.

"The story of mobility is such a huge subject and cannot be told by a single statement," explained Karn.

"As well as the large-scale spectacle, layered within each of the acts are inspiring stories and messages that are meaningful."

Read:

Ten must-see pavilions at Dubai Expo 2020

"It was crucial to underpin all of the narratives with real facts, data and history so that this experience was of cultural and educational value," he continued.

"A strong cinematic and theatrical approach to the design means visitors are engaged but also they are able to learn about the human story of mobility through the ages."

A series of reappearing figures appear throughout the installation

Karn hopes that the installations will change visitors' perceptions of mobility.

"We want the experience to have a transformative effect on how audiences understand human mobility," he said.

"If visitors walk out with a feeling that where we've been and where we are going are of equal importance and understanding this can shape our future for the better, we've done our job."

The Mobility Pavilion is one of the numerous pavilions at Dubai Expo, which is is the latest World Expo. Dezeen recently rounded up the ten must-see pavilions at the event.

Expo 2020 Dubai is open to the public from 1 October to 31 March 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Design and integrative therapy combine in Laura Deschl's "trauma-healing" garments

Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Laura Deschl has developed The Healing Imprint, a therapeutic garment that looks like activewear but is made to help heal trauma.

The project was developed to explore the potential of combining acupressure – a non-invasive practice originating in traditional Chinese medicine – with yoga-like movement to treat psychological trauma.

The garments are designed to be used for a combination of acupressure and trauma-informed yoga

Deschl produced custom-knit garments with a grid stitched into them that allows small massage balls to be inserted and moved onto specific acupressure points on the body, feet, hands and head.

The garments' aesthetic is similar to activewear or leisurewear, and a full set includes a bodysuit, gloves, socks and a pillow.

The idea is to combine acupressure with an embodied movement practice based on yoga, which would allow a person's bodyweight to heighten the pressure at the targeted "acu-points."

The garments have channels stitched into them that allow massage balls to be moved onto acupressure points

Deschl based The Healing Imprint on research that shows how physical therapies can be incorporated into psychotherapy to help people heal from psychological trauma, in an approach known as integrative therapy.

She was particularly inspired by the work of Bessel van der Kolk, whose 2014 book The Body Keeps the Score documents the effects of trauma and an array of methods that can be used to treat it.

"I was inspired by how he is incorporating 'untypical' ways of healing trauma, such as through yoga, tapping and community," Deschl told Dezeen.

A full garment set includes a bodysuit, gloves, socks and a pillow

"My research also encompassed certain other thinkers, but their take on healing trauma through the body is somehow similar," she continued. "One thing is certain: they are all convinced that the body needs to play a major role in overcoming the imprint left on the body caused by a traumatic event."

Acupressure has been used to address symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as trauma-related anxiety and depression.

With The Healing Imprint garments, the acupressure aims to help the wearer access buried memories or emotions, while the trauma-sensitive yoga practice would facilitate introspection around those recollections.

Deschl said that a person's body and their emotions are "two elements that are crucial for one's sense of self, but are often highly impaired as a result of trauma".

"Many people with histories of trauma and neglect experience an extreme disconnection from their body due to a deep divide between the sense of self and sensory experiences," said Deschl.

"The goal of this project is to help patients train embodiment and thus bring them closer to their bodies."

The channels in the garments allow the massage balls to stay in place

One of The Healing Imprint garment sets is knitted from predominantly merino wool plated with an elastic yarn, which was produced specifically for the project.

A second set with meridian patterns is made from a recycled knitted athleisure fabric, while the massage balls are gemstones.

The Healing Imprint includes a set of illustrations showing where to place the balls for which symptoms, and Deschl worked with a psycho-motor therapist to facilitate test sessions with trauma patients.

The garments are based on research showing how integrative therapies can be used to help people heal from trauma

Deschl tested the garments at Eindhoven mental health institute GGzE and is seeking funding to further develop the project.

A social designer and artistic researcher, Deschl has a background in fashion and textiles as well as yoga teaching.

The Healing Imprint is her graduate project from the Master of Fine Arts and Design at Design Academy Eindhoven and is emblematic of her interdisciplinary approach.

The project includes illustrations showing recommended placement for massage balls

"The garment is not only an interface for an individual to access embodied knowledge and self-awareness, but also represents how design can converge fields such as science, business, medicine, psychiatry and textile-making," said Deschl.

Other designers to have made tools for therapy include Ariadna Sala Nadal, whose Balisa kit is meant to help children express their emotions, and Nicolette Bodewes, whose tactile objects are to assist adults in talk therapy.

Photography is by Iris Rijskamp.

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OverUnder renovates landmarked Boston building to create single-family residence

Boston architecture studio OverUnder has renovated a heritage-listed Victorian home, extending the property to the rear and updating the interiors with a contemporary and minimalist palette.

The property is located in Boston's South End, a neighbourhood characterised by its Victorian and Italianate architectural influences.

The three-unit property was renovated into a single-family home

The building's exterior appearance falls under the protection of the South End Landmark District Commission (SELDC).

The challenge for OverUnder was to conduct a complete renovation of what was previously a three-unit home into a new single-family residence, without compromising the exterior appearance of the building.

OverUnder demolished the interior of the home and redesigned it from scratch

"The interior of the house was completely demolished down to the side brick walls, the front façade and the roof," said the team.

"As the design team had decided to remove all of the interiors and the rear wall, they had a blank slate with which to work."

A blackened steel staircase connects the upper levels

As the demolition work progressed, the team discovered that the party walls did not have the anticipated bearing capacity that would be needed for the new layout.

They remedied this issue by creating ring beams – horizontal structural elements bolted to the demising walls at every storey – to support the new floors.

Access to the basement is via a wood-lined stairway

"The new floor joists spanned inside the ring beam which created a much stronger wall and floor making the building structurally sound," OverUnder said.

The architects laid out the interior's 3,100 square feet (288 square metres) over five floors, including the basement, creating space for four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms.

The studio used Douglas fir for built-ins throughout the home

An extension was built at the back of the home, facing Waltham Street, using bricks salvaged from the demolition process.

This volume houses the kitchen and rear deck on the first floor, as well as a home gym, a new entrance and mud room on ground level.

The staircase leading down to a spa in the basement is fully lined in timber.

"We wanted to create a feeling that it was cut from a single block of wood, so the walls, treads and risers are all of Douglas Fir and finished with the same white soap and lye," said OverUnder.

A mud room was created as part of an extension to the rear

A blackened steel staircase connects the remaining three levels continuously and is illuminated by a skylight in the roof.

At each landing, OverUnder included glass guardrails rather than steel, which help bring as much light to the interiors as possible.

The Victorian-style property is located in Boston's landmarked South End district

Other interior finishes include lye-washed Douglas fir, which was used for flooring, built-in cabinets, and accent walls throughout.

"We also removed all extraneous detail such as baseboards, window and door casings and ceiling coves," said OverUnder. "We used frameless doors and returned the plaster in on the window jambs and created a half-inch shadow gap between the bottom of the walls and the floor."

The rear extension was built using bricks removed during interior demolition

Despite the structural challenges and compact footprint, the outcome is a property with generous interiors and a contemporary feeling.

Also in Boston, Merge Architects has completed a housing development clad in corrugated steel that faces the harbor. There have also been plans for a carbon-neutral development using CLT lumber construction by Generate.

The photography is by Bob O'Connor.

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Project credits:
Architecture: OverUnder
Interior design: MVA Home
Construction manager: Plattypus Construction
Structural engineer:Davidson Engineering
Geotechnical engineer: KMM Geotechnical
Civil engineer: Doyle Engineering
Lighting consultant: System7

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