International award showcases Gannett Fleming’s urban mobility leadership

Harrisburg, Pa. — Gannett Fleming’s Uber SKYPORT design concept recently won a 2018 GOOD DESIGN Award in the transportation category from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

GOOD DESIGN, which attracted a record number of applicants this year, is the oldest and most recognized global design award in the world. Founded by architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann Jr. in 1950, the GOOD DESIGN Award celebrates innovative contemporary design and manufacturing in the worldwide marketplace.

Uber named SKYPORT by Gannett Fleming a top finalist at its 2018 Uber Elevate Skyport Challenge. The innovative, scalable SKYPORT design concept is optimized for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL) to land, charge, and load passengers at a rate of 600 arrivals or departures an hour. Showcasing the work of various Gannett Fleming disciplines, the design also features acoustic baffles, intuitive wayfinding, and transition points to public transportation.

“As city centers continue to grow and travel becomes more complicated, Gannett Fleming’s SKYPORT is one important piece of the urban mobility puzzle,” said Matthew Schiemer, PE, director of transportation operations. “We have the ability to design all facets of urban mobility – from roadway infrastructure, to air travel, to the geographic information systems that inform travel decisions.”

This design award is the latest recognition of Gannett Fleming’s leadership in urban mobility. The team has been educating professionals across market sectors on the new frontiers for urban travel. In late 2018, architects from Gannett Fleming presented “Transforming the Commute of the Future: Preparing for Urban Air Rideshare” to educators at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in State College.

“I found Gannett Fleming’s presentation about their response to the Uber Elevate Skyport Challenge to be fascinating and thought-provoking,” said Robert Cooper, senior director of energy & engineering at Penn State and attendee of one of Gannett Fleming’s seminars.

The Gannett Fleming team presented at the Vertical Flight Society’s 6th Annual eVTOL Symposium and 8th Biennial Autonomous VTOL Technical Meeting in Mesa, Ariz.