Skylifter: The Cruise Ship Of The Future

The willingness of future cities to change will decide whether they will be successful or not. Therefore we like to speak about the soft en flexible dimensions of the modern urban landscape. General problem is the fact that most physical constructions that shape the city are heavy and not movable at all. It’s great news to hear about the Skylifter that City of Sound writes about.

An Australian company is developing a giant flying saucer that can transport buildings for long distances, anywhere in the world. The Skylifter is claimed to be able to lift up to 150 tons, which is more than seven times the weight a helicopter is able to carry.

The Sidney Morning Herald spoke with Sam Mokhtari, one of Skylifter’s investors. He sees good business opportunities and great societal relevance for the Skylifter. Services he has in mind are, for example, moving a portable hospital to places with immediate medical needs, such as disaster zones or rural places without proper infrastructure. Besides that, the company hopes to use the Skylifter for touristic purposes in the future. It could easily function as a flying cruise ship, with groups of rich people discovering the landscape from the air.

Looking to the future of the city, I assume each city should buy a Skylifter to reset the urban design from time to time. The ability to reshape the urban patterns will be a valuable tool towards a better and more dynamic practice of urban planning. When a building doesn’t work at its original location, why not try to use it somewhere else? Moreover, one could make serious money only by transferring houses from places with vacancy problems to areas with a flourishing economy and high real estate prices. The Skylifter is the moving van of the future. When getting bored, just skylift your whole life to another place.