Press Release
Silver A' Design Award in Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design Goes to Sunglider Public Transport System by Peter Kuczia
The international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Peter Kuczia for vehicle, mobility and transportation design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 17, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ Sunglider Public Transport System by Peter Kuczia, designed for Sunglider Ag, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Sunglider Public Transport System
Sunglider is an autonomous, photovoltaic-powered public transportation system for urban areas. It consists of autonomous suspended passenger and freight vehicles and small autonomous buses on the ground. The track is made of glulam and supports a PV roof that generates around 120 percent of the energy required for the entire system. The metro is controlled by artificial intelligence, resulting in a maintenance-free cycle of 3 minutes. All vehicles are 3D printed in microfactories. Investment and operating costs are drastically reduced, making the ride free.
About Peter Kuczia
Peter Kuczia is an educator and expert in sustainable constructions with more than twenty years of experience. In 2008 he completed his Ph.D. dissertation on solar architecture in Germany. He is an author of ‘Educating Buildings – Learning Sustainability through Displayed Design’. He has been awarded multiple international prizes, including main International awards. His work has been exhibited and published around the world. He is a jury member in international competitions and initiator and curator of the Design that Educates Awards.
Award Record
With this recognition, Peter Kuczia is a winner of 5 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2019 - 2020 and the 2023 - 2024 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design Award
The A' Vehicle Design Award is an international vehicle design competition recognizing good vehicle designs by best vehicle designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to vehicle designers, mobility solution providers, transportation design studios and automotive engineers from all countries. Typical entries include cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, buses and trains. The awarded vehicle designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/vehicle
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/145266
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/145266
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!145266
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/273924
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://kuczia.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Sunglider Public Transport System
- Function
- Public Transport System
- Category
- Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Automotive
- Colors
- Dark Slate Blue, Slate Blue, Royal Blue, Indian Red and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Sunglider Ag
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Peter Kuczia
- Country
- Germany
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #145266
Credits
- Team
- Peter Kuczia, Structure Form Designer: Ewelina Gawell, Team: Mariusz Wrona, Agnieszka Wardzinska, Amr Waly, Maria Yanczuk, Jakub Kozlik, Wiktoria Gorzelewska, Aleksa Stepniewska, Piotr Banasiak, Bartek Witkowski, Oliver Kubut, Dieter Otten, Uli Hartwig, Peter Böcker, Alek Pluta, Lev Rosileht
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Sunglider is an autonomous, PV fuelled public transport system for urban areas. It consists of autonomous people & cargo movers and small autonomous busses on the ground. The track is glulam constructed and carries a PV roof generating 117% of the energy required for the entire system. The Metro is controlled by AI, creating a wait-free cycle of 3 minutes. All vehicles are 3 D printed in micro-factories. Investment and operation costs are drastically are drastically reduced, making the ride free
- Inspiration
- The project envisions a true zero-fare urban transport accessible to all residents. Through innovative vehicle design, 3D printing manufacturing, advanced propulsion tech, autonomous AI-driven driving, and photoelectric fuel, we aim for profitable metro operation without ticket sales. This holistic approach revolutionizes urban mobility, fostering accessibility, sustainability, and economic viability for communities.
- Research
- Sunglider: AI-Controlled Urban Transport The Sunglider, managed by AI software, operates on a seamless 3-minute cycle, adjusting availability for passenger or cargo needs. Offering a free tariff for metro citizens, it's financially sustainable through diverse revenue streams, eliminating the need for municipal subsidies.
- Challenge
- The challenge was to create a public transportation system that not only would be economically viable in operation and construction but also seamlessly integrate with the urban fabric of densely populated areas.
- Realization and Technology
- The Sunglider system, based on Local Motors' bus Olli, incorporates an overhead chassis derived from roller coaster tech for noise reduction. Integrated Super-Caps charge energy at stops, with over 80% of vehicles 3D printed. Digitally parametric designed and manufactured in micro-factories by humans and cobots, they also serve maintenance. The track, with a 4.5m ground clearance and a total height of 9m, includes a semitransparent photovoltaic roof. Spaced 25-30m apart, pylons support barrier-free island stations. Named »Xylo-Solar«, the track is constructed from sustainable recycled glulam, transforming urban spaces underneath.
- Operation and Interaction
- The Sunglider operates through AI software, ensuring vehicles run on a wait-free cycle of 3 minutes. The AI efficiently manages vehicle availability, seamlessly transitioning between passenger and cargo transport as needed.
- Project Duration and Location
- 2022-2024, Osnabrueck, Germany and worldwide
- Specifications
- The project is a prototype of a linear suspended rail system suitable for use in mainly medium-sized cities - regardless of climate.
- Keywords
- sustainable mobility, public transportataon, suspension metro, suspended monorail,
