Rome, 12 june 2024: UrbanV, the Italian vertiport operator, and Foster + Partners, the international studio for architecture, engineering, urban and landscape design, have entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore a cooperation about certain development projects in the field of AAM, with reference to the development of Middle East Region and beyond. UrbanV will jointly explore opportunities with Foster + Partners in selecting and evaluating the sites, planning and designing vertiports with high sustainable and safety standards, and designing the passenger experience and communication complying with local regulations and requirements.
The aim of jointly exploring opportunities has multiple scopes: to enhance UrbanV’s distinctive expertise in vertiport planning and design, network analysis, business planning, route evaluation, interaction with regulatory authorities, as well as its extensive network of business relationships in the UAM and AAM sector and to enhance Foster + Partners’ expertise and experience in vertiport design through collaboration with UrbanV in order to achieve a long term vision for this sector through scope collaboration. Ultimately, to combine both companies’ respective strengths to increase the competitiveness of potential opportunities in developing projects in the field of AAM.
In the context of the cooperation set forth, both parties will benefit of mutual expertise in designing and planning one or more vertiport facilities in Middle East Region and beyond creating a functional design complying with local regulations. This also encompasses site selection and evaluation: UrbanV will benefit of Foster + Partners’ expertise in selecting and evaluating potential sites for the network of vertiports that will assess the suitability of a site based on local regulations, accessibility, and other site-specific factors.
The building of the facility will be assessed by recommended and suggested security and sustainable features with also recommendation of environment friendly material and strategies to reduce energy consumption. To enhance passenger experience, UrbanV and Foster + Partners will study together new concepts of usability and a potential integration of network of vertiports in urban settings.
The Foster + Partners’ expertise will be also implemented for communication purposes creating graphic and business materials to increase UrbanV’s prestige in the market and sector discussions.
Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV said: “At UrbanV, we aim to improve people’s lives by enabling a fast, efficient, safe, and clean alternative to existing transport solutions for people and goods over short distances, by air. We have the ambition to become a major global operator of vertiport networks and we will be global pioneers in establishing some of the first AAM routes worldwide. We are excited to partner with Foster + Partners, a global leader in their field, and we look forward to exploring together with them the great potential of introducing advanced air mobility in the Middle East market and beyond.”
Toby Blunt, Senior Partner of Foster + Partners said: “We are delighted to be working with UrbanV with a vision to transform the way people travel. Drawing on the practice’s vast experience of aviation projects, we will look to develop a revolutionary new model for urban travel in the future.”
