Picture a translucent plastic façade shimmering under airport lights, as hydraulic cylinders seamlessly extend and retract the gangway. The 3D printed aluminium frame provides a robust yet lightweight structure, while the collapsible floor ensures maximum space efficiency. This is the future of airport infrastructure – flexible, sustainable, and extraordinarily efficient.

While functional, the traditional aerobridge is a utilitarian appendage to the airport terminal, offering passengers a covered yet uninspiring passage into the aircraft. These structures are typically limited in versatility, designed to serve only a narrow range of aircraft with similar door heights, known as the ‘luffing height’.

The conventional aerobridge also only attaches to the front door of a plane and can’t navigate past the wing to access the rear doors. This often results in passengers enduring the inconvenience of walking on the tarmac and ascending steep metal stairs – an undignified start or end to any journey.

What if the aerobridge were agile and flexible enough to accommodate a diverse array of aircraft? What if it could seamlessly extend over the wing to reach and provide equitable access the rear doors? And what if the journey through it were a visually and spatially enriching experience, transforming a mundane passage into an inspiring prelude or conclusion to air travel?

Enter the AeroSnake.

“For the AeroSnake we’ve merged solution-driven design with interactive simulation and sustainable practices,” says Karl Traeger, Principal Sector Leader Aviation.

“By leveraging generative design, automation technologies, and advanced materials, we are not only boosting efficiency but also setting a new vision for aerobridges. This vision has the potential to transform airport operations and redefine the future of ‘deployment-on-demand’ aviation infrastructure.”

A revolutionary concept in airport infrastructure: a fully automated, 3D printed aerobridge designed to enhance efficiency, adaptability, and sustainability. The AeroSnake leverages advanced digital design techniques, including generative design and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, to create a highly optimised and innovative solution for contemporary airports.

Generative design employs a rule-based geometric system, measurable goals, and an automated process to generate, evaluate and solve problems. This approach enables the exploration of a vast design space and is particularly effective in creating complex structures like the AeroSnake, where numerous variables and constraints must be considered.

Utilising CFD simulations, the AeroSnake’s structural loads are meticulously analysed, followed by the application of the BESO (Bidirectional Evolutionary Structural Optimisation) algorithm to optimise the topology of structural elements such as columns and braces. This process of iteratively removing inefficient material while adding back efficient material ensures maximum overall stiffness while considering multiple wind directions and gravity.

The AeroSnake concept showcases several main features and components designed to maximise functionality and efficiency:

3D printed aluminium frame: Ensures a strong and fully optimised lightweight structure.
ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) façade material: This lightweight and durable material is used for exterior cladding.
Gangway articulation System and cover: Enables smooth expansion, contraction, rise, fall, and pivot movements.
Hydraulic cylinders and telescopic lift: Provide the necessary force for flexible movement and adjustment.
Collapsible/retractable floor: Enhances adaptability and space efficiency.

The AeroSnake’s operational dynamics are centred around four main components:

Main car: Houses the power source, main hydraulic actuators, and gangway articulation system.
Sub car: Equipped with its hydraulic system, featuring a collapsible/retractable floor, adding to the aerobridge’s versatility.
Mobility: Innovative multi-directional movement carriage and spherical wheels.
Auto-deploy: Automated On-Demand-Deployment and positioning technology.

The AeroSnake continues to evolve, with several universities expressing interest in collaborating with Architectus on its development. Architectus’ most profound insight came from Heather Kamara Shearer, its longtime collaborator and esteemed Aboriginal artist. When Traeger presented the AeroSnake concept to her, she suggested Architectus draw inspiration directly from nature. Kamara Shearer advised us to study the skeleton of a snake, examining how it flexes with an array of same-size bones hinged from the top.

Inspired by Kamara Shearer’s perspective, the practice is reimagining the AeroSnake’s design to incorporate these natural principles, enhancing its flexibility and structural integrity. Architectus is excited to pursue this intersection of art, nature, and technology.

Stay tuned as the practice continues to refine and develop the AeroSnake, pushing the boundaries of airport infrastructure and setting new standards for adaptability, efficiency, and aesthetic beauty.

The journey towards transforming aviation infrastructure is ever-evolving, and Architectus is excited to be part of it.

Clémence Carayol

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