AIR SHIP – IA23 and ID23

If we choose to continue flying in the future, how might it be done in a way that causes as little environmental harm as possible? Airships might be the answer.

Consisting of a lightweight structure, held afloat with gas, only a limited amount of energy is needed to propel the vessel forward.

During a six-week period, students from the Bachelor's programmes in Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, and Furniture Design have worked in interdisciplinary teams to explore, conceptualise, and design possible futures onboard an airship for 700 passengers on a 60-hour journey between London and New York.

To remain afloat, the challenge is to be economical with any added weight, whether it's furniture, food, passengers, or so forth. In this sense, the course explores principles that could be applied beyond the airship – to Earth-bound existences with minimal impact.