Chongqing Terminal

Known as the Mountain City, Chongqing is famous for its drastic level changes across the city. The hilly terrain makes it more costly to build roads and underground traffic systems. But Chongqing is an ideal testing ground for air taxis. Passengers are able to travel the direct distance to their destinations. Mountains do not need to be flattened nor tunneled. Valleys do not need to be filled up. Chongqing Terminal imagines a future where air taxi becomes prevalent as a new means of public transport.

The project serves as a terminal station for air taxis. It is located in front of Chongqing Train Station, taking advantage of the current transportation hub. Four types of air taxis are designed based on the precedents of AirBus and current helicopters. To satisfy the operation height requirement of the air taxis, the structure is built significantly higher than those around it. The building is consist of multiple elevated circular platforms that sandwich either maintenance centers or passenger lounges. Wind power can be harvested on site and provide energy for the air taxis. Chongqing Terminal as a prototype can be easily reduced in the number of platforms and height to serve as smaller local air taxi stations. The Air Taxi stations as a new type of urban infrastructure adds to the efficiency of the city and liberates the terrain from sinuous roads and bridges.