A 100% certified timber-built interior landscape for an autonomous interurban transporter. This structure can seat comfortably four passengers providing two different commuting experiences: one “open” and shared space at the front to enjoy the exterior view with a travel partner, and two private atmospheres – seats – at the rear.

Passengers are softly embraced by sinuous and sculptural forms possible thanks to multidirectional bending. The main structure is kept open (see-through) to appreciate the delicate intricacies created by cast shadows and warm lighting while comfort components and main UIs are hidden behind the “filled” or even surfaces of each seating hub coming visible only when in use.

The transportation industry is evolving rapidly towards electric mobility, experimenting with hydrogen, solar energy and other improvements in power trains and emission reduction. The rest of the car is still being built the same way, same materials, methods, and so on, all this due to environmental and safety regulations, money-saving, tooling investment, etc.

Holz (“wood” in German) is my answer to this semester’s (WS2019-20) brief: «Design a politically correct and environmentally friendly autonomous show car». In this near-future scenario, given the autonomous nature of transportation, there will be fewer odds of collisions, thus this is an opportunity to reduce the clutter created thanks to safety components, create more open interior spaces and work with more environmentally friendly materials considering, even, the impact of their value chain.

In ideal and regulated conditions, timber’s value stream is arguably far less damaging than plastic and metals. Timber has been used for decades to build long-lasting structures, including housing and furniture, and it is, of course, a familiar material to the automotive industry (see: Morgan, Rolls Royce, Costin Nathan, Horizontec).

«Building with timber can ameliorate climate change, as it produces less greenhouse gas and emissions. Wood has the benefit of storing the carbon dioxide trees absorb during their grown, keeping it off the atmosphere indefinitely» – FSC

Could this apply for transportation too?

THANK YOU

Prof. James Kelly, Andreas Hoffmann, Monika Markert, Prof. John Sweeney, Michael Frei, Mark Fetherston.