Passing Cloud by Tiago Barros

非常感谢设计方 Tiago Barros 将项目介绍和项目图片授权gooood发行。更多请至：Tiago Barros on gooood 
Appreciation towards Tiago Barros for providing the following description:

 

Passing Cloud is a recently submitted project for the international ideas competition: Life at the Speed of Rail, promoted by Van Alen Institute and the Department of Cultural affairs of New York City.

Although it wasn’t one of the winning proposals, Passing Cloud reveals a strong conceptual approach that is worth noting: It is a new vision on traveling, based on the old Zeppelins.Nowadays, traveling is achieved with this idea of having a fixed destination and an estimated time of arrival. Passing Cloud completely inverts this system. A floating device is introduced that travels around the entire USA territory according to current predominant winds. It has no fixed time of arrival or place for arrival. The journey becomes the essence. Imagine traveling at wind speeds in a totally sustainable object that leaves no Human trace behind.

This project envisions a distinct approach towards moving around the United States being also a revival of the act of traveling. Why traveling at high speed? Why having the final destiny always defined? And why always departing and arriving on a tight schedule? Nowadays, everything is set and everyone is always running around. It is time to reconsider the act of traveling and start enjoying it accordingly.

The Passing Cloud is an innovative and environmentally friendly method of transportation that doesn’t require expensive steel tracks or concrete highways. It is made of a series of spherical balloons that form the shape of a cloud. Its inner stainless steel structure is covered with heavy weight tensile nylon fabric. During the journey, It moves according to prevailing winds speed and direction at the time of travel. Since it moves with the wind, no wind is ever felt during the trip, offering the passengers a full “floating sensation”.

It’s an unique journey. The feeling of floating in the atmosphere – on top of a cloud – with an open schedule and unknown final destiny. All National Ground would be potentially covered at virtually no cost and the help of the wind. The journey becomes your destiny.

这是一片超大的云，虽然这个设想没有获得国际竞赛的提案，但是依旧迷人。
这是一个复兴，一个旅行全美的新方法。
大家都在跑来跑去，忙忙碌碌，现在是时候停下来，重新考虑并享受。
这片云是创新和环保的运输方法，不要昂贵的钢轨和混凝土，只要一系列球形气球。
内部不锈钢结构，外部厚实的拉伸尼龙布。
随风而动，完全旅行，完全漂浮。
位于云端，体验独特，前方未知，就这是地道的旅行。

PROJECT DATA:
Competition website:http://www.vanalen.org/lasr/
Promoters: Van Alen Institute and the Department of Cultural affairs of New York City
Completition: June 2011
Design Team: Tiago Barros
Location: USA
All images courtesy TIAGO BARROS

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