Berlin, Germany

The European Prize for Architecture laureates GRAFT Architects, together with German designers GRAFT Brandlab, have designed and built the first vertiport prototype in Singapore manufactured by London-based Skyports Limited and for the Germany air taxi company Volocopter GmbH.

Based on the actual building, processes, interfaces and user scenarios were tested and optimized to prepare the start of a worldwide rollout.

A flexible landing infrastructure or so-called vertiports are of critical importance for the success of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in general, and particularly for the operation of air taxis in congested cities.

Electrically operated air taxis are considered a very promising solution when it comes to reducing the burden on urban traffic flows.

The electronic vertical take-off vehicle flies autonomously and is accordingly ideally suited for use in urban areas. The air taxis depart from the roof of the Volo-Port or from a landing platform off to one side, depending on the specific situation.

GRAFT’s modular Volo-Ports make it possible to seamlessly integrate this new form of passenger transport into existing urban infrastructure.

Possible implementation scenarios include railway stations, airports and unused roof surfaces as well as floating Volo-Ports mounted on pontoons, utilizing the free air corridors over rivers and other water surfaces.

With these new Volo-Ports, as they are called, Volocopter has made an important step towards a new form of urban mobility that is airborne and based on electric energy.

In Singapore, GRAFT’s design of the VoloPort looks futuristically modern, pleasantly open and underscores the progressive aspiration of the topic.

At the same time, the design suggests a high degree of quality and security with an exclusive lounge style.

The VoloPort is an essential component of the revolutionary air taxi system as a landing, starting, and maintenance station and was designed with impressive form and function.

“We are thus focusing on shaping the necessary ecosystem around UAM including air traffic management, city regulation and the take-off and landing infrastructure, states Alex Zosel, CoFounder of Volocopter GmbH.

“It takes visionary partners like Skyports and Brandlabs willing to make investments to actively shape the future of urban air mobility.”

“Each individual Volo-Port is designed so that it can stand alone or connect to other ports in numerous formations, enabling rapid deployment and scalability, says Duncan Walker, Managing Director of Skyports Limited.

“We have analysed the available spaces and movement dynamics in city centers across the world and recognize that infrastructure is a key enabler for the emerging UAM market. We are delighted to be building the world’s first operational Volo-Port in partnership with Volocopter.”

“The teams of Brandlab, Volocopter and Skyports have made history with the VoloPort,” commented Prof. Nik Hafermaas, Managing partner of GRAFT Brandlab.

“The realization of the world’s first vertiport in a megacity describes the first important step for the future of new inner-city transport systems. With the first prototype, a customer journey was tested for the first time to enable passengers in cities worldwide to fly in air taxis.”

Architects: GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH
Designers: Graft Brandlab GmbH
Client: Volocopter GmbH
Manufacturer: Skyport Limited
Photographers: Nikolay Kazakov