Designworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group, has been working with Virgin Hyperloop One, and the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai, to help create a prototype design for the Dubai Hyperloop capsule. The design recently made its global debut at City Walk Dubai as part of UAE Innovation Month. Once built, the passenger capsule, electromagnetically propelled through a vacuum tube, could reach speeds up to 1,080kmph and this will help in reducing traveling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in as little as 12 minutes.
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Building upon extensive design experience across public and personal transport projects, Designworks played a crucial role as Virgin Hyperloop One's design partner. "With the Virgin Hyperloop One design, we wanted to create a new visual expression for a new mode of public transportation" says Designworks LA Studio Design Director, Johannes Lampela.
(The seats include integrated heating and cooling)
The central challenge the Designworks team faced was how to create a comfortable and engaging interior with no windows, and a current requirement for passengers to be seated throughout the journey. The seats include integrated heating and cooling. Passengers could enjoy personalized entertainment through built-in displays as well. Floor lighting is also aesthetically used to double as wayfinding.
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To further enrich the passenger experience, designers took inspiration from traditional Arabic patterns, taking care to create intentional and relatable cultural references while also applying a more futuristic and progressive interpretation. If all goes as planned, the Virgin Hyperloop system will be in place in Dubai by the year 2021.
