Hyundai presents future city concepts through virtual exhibition

MANILA: Hyundai Motor Group launched a virtual public exhibition of the HMG Smart City reference model and other concept studies created in partnership with academia.

The greenfield smart city reference model that was presented by Hyundai Motor Group at the World Cities Summit in Singapore last August are on display at the virtual exhibition, along with different concept studies on the future cities.

Hyundai Motor Group and HyunJoon Yoo Architects collaborated on the model. Hyundai Motor Group's research project on the reference model will be a crucial beginning in its mission to understand cities and develop smart city solutions that genuinely benefit inhabitants.

“We looked at the issues inherent in legacy cities and thought about how we could design future cities as a space where humanity, nature, architecture and mobility can coexist. The reference model represents a functional design that revolves around supporting the mobility of people and things,” Hyundai Global Design Center Head SangYup Lee stated.

The HMG Smart City concept is a hexagonal-shaped urban development with a human-centered surface layer and functional subsurface layer. The city's parks and woodlands are surrounded by buildings, thereby reducing the gross area developed by humans.

The concept’s road infrastructure lies in the underground layer, with autonomous mobility solutions delivering all products and services to regional automated logistics hubs where autonomous robots complete the delivery.

Large natural areas are conserved in the concept's sustainable green city. Forests, parks, and a reservoir for water storage can be found in the heart of the city. The city's main power source will be hydrogen fuel cell generators, which will supply electricity to buildings via smart grid pipelines to achieve carbon neutrality.

“This sustainable future city concept creates a synergy between people and nature by using minimal space and renewable energy, and its honeycomb pattern can easily be modified according to the surrounding topography,”  HyunJoon Yoo Architects Head HyunJoon Yoo said. “The virtual exhibition will enable more people to experience the HMG Smart City.”

Hyundai Motor Group previously revealed its plans for future cities and associated smart mobility solutions. Since then, a number of smart mobility solutions have been successfully created by Hyundai Motor Group.

Other city concepts that Hyundai Motor Group has developed in collaboration with academia are also featured in the virtual exhibition. The first section of the concept studies discusses the kind of design that could be required to support and enhance life in desert, arctic, and aquatic habitats. The second section of the study explores several ideas for how future cities' building structures can interact with purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).

For instance, Hyundai Motor Group investigated how region-specific designs may enhance roof structures, pedestrian decks, roads for advanced mobility systems, and PBV docking structures for desert regions facing extreme heat and sandstorms. Hyundai Motor Group also considered potential scenarios in which PBVs might interact with building frameworks and how to conceal PBVs in an appealing manner.

Hyundai Motor Group's ongoing commitment to advancing humanity through intelligent and sustainable mobility solutions is exemplified by the future city concepts presented in the virtual exhibition. Moreover, it gives the public a glimpse into how cities may develop in the future.

“Cities are complex organisms, and it is difficult to plan for a single perfect city, but such thought exercises will help lead us in the right direction,” Hyundai Motor Group President and Chief Innovation Officer Youngcho Chi stated. “The Group is committed to developing smart city solutions based on a deep understanding of cities we live in, and we will continue our efforts to develop a wide range of solutions using smart mobility and logistics.”

The virtual exhibition can be viewed here.

Photo from Hyundai Motor Group

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