One of the more optimistic dreams of the early twentieth century was the inner city airport; countless proposals existed for high street runways, building-top airship docks and fully integrated space ports that would take travellers directly into urban centres and beyond. The future didn’t pan out that way, despite the odd initiative; noise, safety and the dominance of the big out-of-town hub airport put paid to the vision.
Helidrome Architecture invites us to consider the architectural forms that have evolved to accommodate the helicopter. Cities like Los Angeles demand a heli-pad atop every high-rise, but for the most part such structures usually err on the pragmatic side of design - think oil rigs and hospitals. de Voogt speculates as to why few architects have embraced this undeniably futurist idea.
INFORMATION
Helidrome Architecture by Alex de Voogt (010 Publishers)
- Website
- http://www.010publishers.nl
