MVRDV and Airbus have been awarded one of five the “Public Awards” from the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), which closed yesterday. The "City and the Sky Above" installation, produced by MVRDV and Airbus in collaboration with Squint/Opera, was voted as one of the best exhibits of the 2019–2020 show by visitors to the Biennale in Shenzhen.

The installation showed MVRDV’s research as part of a team led by Airbus Urban Mobility to envisage the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) using self-piloted, zero-emission, electric air vehicles. The study focuses in particular on the implementation of this technology at an urban level and its impacts and potential benefits for cities.

In the City and the Sky Above exhibit, which was located just inside the entrance to the Eyes of the City exhibition, a circular platform invited visitors to relax on the transparent inflatable chairs and cushions, turning their eyes skyward to a dome suspended above their heads. On this dome, a video projection guided visitors through the history of urban mobility and the challenges inherent in introducing new technologies, and a vision developed by MVRDV in partnership with Airbus Urban Air Mobility of a better urban future that incorporates air mobility.

The original study into UAM was conducted by MVRDV and Airbus Urban Mobility with Bauhaus Luftfahrt, ETH Zurich, and Systra. The installation at Eyes of the City was designed by MVRDV and funded by Airbus, while the video was produced by Squint/Opera. 

You can watch the video here.