Vertiports to Fly For (and To and From)

As advanced air mobility (AAM) moves closer to reality, an integral component of the infrastructure supporting it will be the vertiports where the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles will depart from and arrive to.

A quartet of researchers from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have developed a performance-based approach to design vertiports. Some estimates have Americans each wasting 43 hours in traffic in 2024 — equivalent to a little more than a week of work — and roughly 4 billion hours nationwide and $74 billion in lost productivity.

Dubai, a city in the UAE known for its ultra-modern architecture, luxury shopping, and vibrant nightlife is preparing to add air taxi services to cater to tourists.

The researchers’ analysis included solar radiation, wind dynamics, and thermal comfort to optimize user comfort and energy efficiency. Results indicate that computational design methodologies significantly enhance early design phases, enabling the creation of vertiport configurations that maximize shading, minimize energy consumption, and improve structural integrity.

The researchers work provided a scalable methodology for integrating performance-based design in urban air mobility (UAM) infrastructure, aligning technological innovation with environmental and societal needs. They considered three sites — the Palm Jumeirah and Al Mamzer in Dubai, and Al Mamzar in Sharjah — primarily on their energy-performance, wind, comfortability levels, peoples’ perception, and cultural context, Al Mamzar in the emirate of Sharjah was selected as the project’s best location.

The use of computational design techniques in the early design phases and performance optimization strategies were thoroughly examined. Furthermore, computational techniques were employed to produce limitless proposed generations that would meet the needs of the design and guarantee high levels of user comfort.

By integrating cutting-edge generative design tools and performance simulation methodologies, the framework guaranteed that all suggested solutions complied with predetermined environmental, cultural, and functional characteristics in addition to enabling the creation of an infinite number of design iterations.

Keywords: vertiport, advanced air mobility, AAM, UAM, Dubai, UAE,

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