Integrating A-Ways Into Buildings

Integrating A-Ways into existing buildings will challenge innovators, with all sorts of interesting results. The real excitement, in my view, will be the impact A-Ways have on new buildings and communities, and the impetus for new cultural movements.

Small Autonomous Vehicles, such as Mini-Mobility Vehicles, can run suspended from ceilings, especially in commercial buildings that have higher ceilings (our local ice cream shop, Wilsons, has a model railroad running suspended from the ceiling). These vehicles could ride the tops of existing elevators and the bottoms of stairways – imagine a ramp a foot or so below the steps – you wouldn’t notice the loss of a foot from the ceiling … unless you are tall, as I am. J

In existing cities we may see A-Ways attached to the outsides of buildings crossing above streets. The most famous existing example may be the “skybridge” connecting the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, I’ve been there, and it is an awesome sight. The skybridge is featured in one of my favorite films, Entrapment.

Skybridges have a long history, and we can anticipate more connections, as in this example from Atlanta. As A-Ways become even more useful, we will probably see connections at each floor level.

For larger Autonomous Vehicles, such as Personal Transport Vehicles, more ingenuity will be needed. In future posts I will discuss other innovative solutions, such as median strips, and elevated A-Ways.

Major innovations will be multi-purpose structures including space for other activities, such as walking, jogging, biking, and relaxing. Shops and stores will be integrated into these structures, creating whole new linear communities. When I go through Penn Station in New York city, I like to get interesting food at one of the many shops there, it’s a miniature city.

For now, let me start you thinking about what this means for new buildings and communities. A-Ways will become part of the design requirements, just like plumbing, heating, and other “utilities.”  As Autonomous Vehicles provide more functions in daily life, and I will give you lots to think about with these, A-Ways will become even more influential in building and community design.

What do you think a community would look like if we have high speed A-Ways concealed inside buildings, using Continuous Convoys and En Route Sequencing? If 5 minutes on an A-Way can take you 5 miles in a straight line, but taking a single right turn doubles the time, I predict cities may look more linear than today’s grids.