Norman Foster is building droneports in Africa
Norman Foster has unveiled a full scale prototype for a new droneport to be used to deliver medical supplies and other essential equipment across Africa, and said that the vaulted brick structure could have multiple uses, including for leisure developers.
Launching the project at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Foster described the structure as a "high tech mud building".
The Droneport, which is the first project to be presented by the Norman Foster Foundation, will support cargo drone routes, allowing drones to deliver equipment and medical supplies to remote areas of Africa on a massive scale. The droneports will also act as community hubs, housing a range of facilities which could include markets, health clinics and post offices.
"The Droneport project is about doing more with less, capitalising on the recent advancements in drone technology – something that is usually associated with war and hostilities – to make an immediate live-saving impact in Africa," Foster told CLAD.
The vaulted brick Droneport building is conceived as a kind of kit, where the basic formwork and brick-press machinery is delivered to the site, and the raw materials are locally sourced, reducing costs and making it more sustainable. Foster said the structures themselves could also have other leisure uses.
"It would be as perfect for a resort for luxury living as it would be for the most basic needs of humanity. It touches the ground very lightly; in that sense it is a very modern building. It's a very delicate shell, but is quite bold. It has a strong identity.
"I could imagine it being the most beautiful bedroom, with the most minimal of enclosures – perhaps even curtains in some climates. It would be absolutely delightful. At the same time in a rural setting of Africa or South America or parts of Asia it could provide the luxury of shelter for very poor communities."
The pilot project is based in Rwanda, and is slated to begin in 2016.
Foster + Parters are currently working on a range of leisure projects, including the Oceanwide Center in San Francisco, the Norton Museum of Art extension in Florida and a pavilion for the Dubai Expo 2020.
Norman Foster droneport Venice architecture Biennale architecture design Rwanda CLADSan Francisco planners green light Foster + Partners Oceanwide Center towers
Foster + Partners, BIG and Grimshaw win architecture competition for Dubai 2020 Expo pavilions
Norman Foster to restore historic sports pavilion for Kulm St. Moritz
Groundbreaking ceremony held for Foster + Partners' Norton Museum of Art in Florida
Foster + Partners design Roman-inspired museum to house ancient treasures
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates