Hyundai Motor's hexagonal-shaped future city concept inspired by honeycomb pattern

By Lim Chang-won Posted : October 31, 2022, 11:02 Updated : October 31, 2022, 11:02

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]


SEOUL -- A smart city reference model designed by South Korea's Hyundai auto group minimizes environmental damage by limiting development areas and preventing indiscriminate expansion. Inspired by a honeycomb pattern, the concept is a hexagonal-shaped urban development with a human-centered surface layer and a functional underground layer. 

The auto group unveiled a virtual public exhibition of the concept that envisions a sustainable green city where large natural areas are preserved, the city center features recreational forests, parks and a reservoir, with hydrogen fuel cell generators distributing electricity through smart grid pipelines. 

On the surface, buildings encircle parks and forests at the center, effectively minimizing the gross area developed by humankind. The concept's road infrastructure lies in the underground layer where autonomous mobility solutions transport all the goods and services to regional automated logistics hubs where autonomous robots make the final delivery. 

"We looked at the issues inherent in legacy cities and thought about how we could design future cities as a space where humanity, nature, architecture and mobility can coexist,"  Hyundai's global design center head Lee Sang-yup said in a statement on October 31. "The reference model represents a functional design that revolves around supporting the mobility of people and things."

The smart city reference model is the result of collaboration with architect Yoo Hyun-joon. "his sustainable future city concept creates a synergy between people and nature by using minimal space and renewable energy, and its honeycomb pattern can easily be modified according to the surrounding topography," said Yoo.

Hyundai said it has delved into how roof structures, pedestrian decks, and roads for advanced mobility systems may benefit from region-specific designs, and how purpose-built vehicle (PBV) docking structures may look like for desert environments facing high heat and sandstorms. 
 

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

The virtual exhibition includes other city concepts in desert, polar and aquatic environments. The concept of a polar city removed the permafrost to build a large dome on the exposed rock. The concept of an artificial sea city is in the center of the disappearing coral reef, focusing on the coexistence of humans and nature, while the desert city is designed with roof structures, buildings, walkways, road networks, and parks.
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