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While the themes of Aerial Futures are universal, they are anchored into place and localized to tell a compelling and inspiring story.
ACRP Insight Event: Future of Aviation
March 22-23, 2022
AERIAL FUTURES Chairman Agatha Kessler and board member Max Hirsh will join leaders in global aviation to look ahead and discuss emerging technologies, changes in the space, sustainability, and opportunities for the industry going forward. AERIAL FUTURES’ Chair Agatha Kessler is the Panel Chair for this ACRP Insight Event. The event will center around four key themes: People, Infrastructure, Technology & Innovation, and Climate.
AERIAL FUTURES: NEWBURGH ENCLOSURES
May 17, 2019
Newburgh, NY USA
NEWBURGH ENCLOSURES examines New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) as a catalyst for development in Newburgh and its neighboring region. This think tank invites participants to consider how the airport can accelerate innovation and development in its immediate vicinity, and how it can generate nuance ideas for rural entrepreneurship and urban regeneration. Looking beyond programmatic conventions of air travel and transportation, the think tank will facilitate an imaginative discussion about how SWF can be an engine for local development.
AERIAL FUTURES: THE THIRD DIMENSION
April 25—26, 2019
Boston, MA USA
THE THIRD DIMENSION examines the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market, understanding that with the rapid advancement of autonomous technology, many cities are looking to the sky as a third dimension for transportation and growth. This value proposition underscores the potential to create a healthier and efficient future for urban mobility, allowing cities to unlock the lower skies and expand their capacity for distribution of goods and passengers through self-piloted flying vehicles. This think tank will discuss provocative approaches for the safe deployment of UAM vehicles above urban areas and considerations to best prepare cities for the upcoming aerial revolution.
AERIAL FUTURES: LAKE VICTORIA CHALLENGE
October 29--31, 2018
Mwanza, Tanzania
LAKE VICTORIA CHALLENGE provoked discussion about droneports as new architectural interfaces between land and sky: much like every European town once had a train station, what if every African town had a droneport? Building on the 2016 Droneport Project, initiated by EPFL-Afrotech and designed by Foster + Partners, this think tank explored imaginary architectural approaches that enhance the shared economic value and scalability of droneports in remote, rural areas, including private-public partnerships and financing business models. The think tank produced design sketches for droneports in Mwanza and Juma Island.
AERIAL FUTURES: THE NEXT FRONTIER
October 4—5, 2018
Houston, TX, USA
THE NEXT FRONTIER investigated the emerging commercial space flight market and the opportunities spaceports provide as catalysts for disruptive innovation in technology and mobility. This think tank explored the future of commercial space travel and the transformation of Houston’s Ellington Airfield into a world class commercial spaceport. Specifically, this think tank brought together industry experts and thought-leaders to discuss both practical and visionary responses to issues around air traffic control management and spaceport design and planning to technology and the overall impact the spaceport infrastructure has on the broader airport ecosystem.
AERIAL FUTURES: CONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPES
July 19—20, 2018
Denver, CO, USA
Union Station
CONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPES examined the contemporary airport's emerging and unprecedented role as real estate developer and urban planner. Taking Denver International Airport (DEN) as a case study, this think tank looked at the opportunities and risks faced by the airport in their new role as agents for urban change. Selected participants interrogated the myriad ways that technology is transforming greenfields into connected, integrated airfield communities.
AERIAL FUTURES: URBAN CONSTELLATIONS
April 5—6, 2018
New York, NY, USA
New LAB
URBAN CONSTELLATIONS explored airport-city interfaces as infrastructure, operating at a metropolitan scale. This think tank used New York City as a case study to trigger responses across disciplines. Selected participants reimagined airport constellations as a choreographed urban ecosystem that relies as much on architecture as it does on technology and data-driven design.
AERIAL FUTURES: LEADING EDGE
November 2—3, 2017
Los Angeles, CA, USA
A + D museum
Participants of the LEADING EDGE Symposium took part in a two- day symposium with lectures, curated panel discussions, professional workshops and intimate networking events on the future of aviation and airport design. Hosted at the A + D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles, this program was supported by guided site visits at the Los Angeles International Airport, exploring first hand the impact of aviation and travel trends on the airport of the future.
AERIAL FUTURES: NEW FUNCTIONS
September 16, 2017
Chicago, IL, USA
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
NEW FUNCTIONS responded to the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial by placing contemporary airport developments into an historical context. Looking at the present to make sense of a new history, a select group of architects and experts got together to discuss critical themes for airports today, such as lifecycle and adaptive reuse of terminal buildings, strategies for human-based design, and the nature of public space in light of complex business models.
AERIAL FUTURES: SKY'S THE LIMIT
March 11, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico
Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco
SKY'S THE LIMIT brought together a group of international and local pioneers to discuss how airports can be catalysts for architectural innovation. Experts discussed the inherent environmental, economic political and social implications associated to these prototypical projects, along with the risks and promises that they carry.
AERIAL FUTURES: GROUNDED VISIONS
October 17—19, 2016
Venice, Italy
Palazzo Michiel
As part of the official collateral events of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, AERIAL FUTURES: GROUNDED VISIONS, Shaping the Airport Terminal of Tomorrow was a two-day symposium that took place from October 17th to 19th, 2016. The symposium brought together diverse voices in a discussion about the future of air travel, as seen through the lenses of architecture, design, technology, culture and user experience.