Archinect - News

SHoP’s Uber headquarters 'breathes' with smart accordion-style windows

2022-05-26T11:47:00-04:00

New York-based SHoP has completed work on the Uber Headquarters in San Francisco. The 423,000-square-foot project is divided into two buildings ranging between six and eleven stories, linked by two suspended walkways.

Photo © Jason O'Rear

The scheme’s star attraction is its active “breathing” façade composed of full-height windows. The computer-controlled system sees windows open and close in an accordion shape, with operable windows strategically placed at specific locations on the façade in response to wind and sun patterns. In addition to satisfying the building’s ventilation needs, the moving façade offers an ever-changing street scene throughout the day.

Photo © Jason O'Rear

Inside, the building’s perimeter is lined by a series of circulation and gathering spaces known as the Commons. The zones form a buffer area between the unconditioned atmosphere on the exterior and the controlled temperatures in the core workspaces, while “bringing the ...

Flying cars will exist in cities by 2030 according to Hyundai's Europe chief

2021-06-30T17:14:00-04:00

According to South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai, flying cars will exist in cities around the world by the end of this decade.

At the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) conference, a trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry, Michael Cole, the president and chief executive of Hyundai’s European operations, said the company has made “very significant investments” in urban air mobility.

“We think that by the latter part of this decade certainly, urban air mobility will offer great opportunity to free up congestion in cities, to help with emissions, whether that’s intra-city mobility in the air or whether it’s even between cities.”

Developing its urban air mobility program is part of Hyundai’s mission to become a provider of smart mobility services, which includes the creation of more efficient electric vehicles.

In January 2020, Hyundai unveiled its flying car concept, developed alongside Uber, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The eVTOL,...

Uber announces New Mobility Infrastructure Initiative to support safer streets

2020-01-15T14:51:00-05:00

In a statement Monday, Uber announced, on behalf of PeopleForBikes, the North American Bikeshare Association, and the League of American Bicyclist, it authored a letter urging the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure to prioritize the safety of vulnerable roadway users such as bicyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians through additional funding measures and incentive programs.

Uber's aim is to create and support legislation at state, local, and federal levels. The company also announced the introduction of a new Bike Travel Tool to accompany its JUMP electric bike and scooter arm. The tool allows users to see where the elements like protected bike lanes are in a city, to help inform safer travel. "We are committed to helping make roads safe for everyone on all modes of travel, and we will continue to help make our new mobility options fit cities’ needs and priorities," the company said in a statement.

Delivery-only "ghost kitchens" could reshape the restaurant industry

2019-09-26T16:00:00-04:00

As more people order food to eat at home, and as delivery becomes faster and more convenient, the apps are changing the very essence of what it means to operate a restaurant. No longer must restaurateurs rent space for a dining room. All they need is a kitchen — or even just part of one.

Food delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub are reshaping the $863 billion restaurant industry in the United States, according to The New York Times, as delivery-only "virtual restaurants" take off.

The New York Times reports that over 4,000 virtual restaurants and "ghost kitchens" have sprung up across the country since 2017.

Uber reveals six "Skyport" designs for its flying taxis

2018-05-11T16:06:00-04:00

If Uber is to get its “flying taxi” service off the ground, it will need dozens of launchpads and landing sites on rooftops around cities as a supportive infrastructure. At the ride-hailing company’s second annual Elevate conference in Los Angeles, six architecture firms presented their winning designs of what these so-called “Skyports” could look like. And holy cow, these things look straight out of Star Wars.

It was all futuristic sky towers, helipads, and beehive references this week when six architecture firms presented their "uberAIR Skyport" design proposals for Uber's autonomous flying taxi service in the not-too-distant future.

According to the call for proposals, all facilities needed to be able to handle 4,000 passengers an hour within a three-acre footprint, provide charging spots for all the eVTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircrafts, and minimize environmental impact on adjacent neighborhoods.

The selected firms and proposals are:

↑ Gannett Fleming: "The Paw"

↑ Pickard Chilton and Arup: "Sky Tower"

↑ Corgan: "Connect"

↑ The Beck Group: "The Hive"

↑ BOKA Powell: "Skyport Prototype"

(Cover picture) Humphreys & Partners: "Uber Hover"

Watch the archived live stream of the entire Uber Elevate Summit design presentation here.

Uber and NASA team up to create 'flying taxi' by 2020

2017-11-10T16:12:00-05:00

Teaming up with NASA is a big deal for Uber. First, it allows the company to tout the approval of the highly regarded space agency to skeptics. [...] Holden said that Uber wouldn’t have to wait for 2020 before it starts testing things out IRL. The company aims to begin operating a fleet of low-flying helicopters around Dallas-Fort Worth Airport — while working with air traffic controllers to not encroach on their flight paths —as a way to test NASA’s UTM system.

Uber has teamed up with NASA to create an aerial taxi service called UberAIR. Los Angles was just announced as a city now working with the company to host their program along with Dallas-Forth Worth and Dubai. At least 19 other companies are currently developing flying car plans.

Check out Uber's newly released video giving a taste of what the experience would be like.

New York's iconic yellow cabs are slowly disappearing from city streets — and Uber is cashing in

2017-10-13T15:12:00-04:00

What seemed inevitable for quite some time now, has finally come to pass; Uber has overtaken yellow cabs in average daily ridership figures, the New York Times reports. This past July, Uber witnessed an average of 289,000 rides per day, whereas yellow cabs only managed 277,000.

More than half of Uber's rides start outside of Manhattan. Yellow and green cabs are not as accessible in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island and users prefer Uber and other ride-share apps. The company capitalized on this market by offering borough-specific promotions and moved its support and recruitment center outside of Manhattan.

Pittsburgh disappointed with Uber's self-driving car experiment

2017-05-23T11:58:00-04:00

When Uber picked this former Rust Belt town as the inaugural city for its driverless car experiment, Pittsburgh played the consummate host. [...] Nine months later, Pittsburgh residents and officials say Uber has not lived up to its end of the bargain. [...] The deteriorating relationship between Pittsburgh and Uber offers a cautionary tale, especially as other cities consider rolling out driverless car trials from Uber, Alphabet’s Waymo and others.

"Starting later this month," wrote Bloomberg less than one year ago, "Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved." Since then, Pittsburgh appears to have fallen out of love with the ride-sharing giant's promises for the city.

Uber manipulates its drivers through behavioral science experiments

2017-04-03T12:49:00-04:00

...even as Uber talks up its determination to treat drivers more humanely, it is engaged in an extraordinary behind-the-scenes experiment in behavioral science to manipulate them in the service of its corporate growth — an effort whose dimensions became evident in interviews with several dozen current and former Uber officials, drivers and social scientists, as well as a review of behavioral research.

"Because its drivers are independent contractors, they lack most of the protections associated with employment. By mastering their workers’ mental circuitry, Uber and the like may be taking the economy back toward a pre-New Deal era when businesses had enormous power over workers and few checks on their ability to exploit it."

For some Uber drivers, their cars double as beds

2017-01-23T14:05:00-05:00

The vast majority of Uber’s full-time drivers return home to their beds at the end of a day’s work. But all over the country, there are many who don’t. These drivers live near, but not in, expensive cities where they can tap higher fares, ferrying wealthier, white-collar workers to their jobs and out to dinner—but where they can’t make enough money to get by, even with longer hours.

To maximize their time, drivers find supermarket parking lots, airports and hostels where they catch several hours of sleep after taking riders home from bars and before starting the morning commute.

All that data Uber has been collecting might just come in handy

2017-01-12T12:27:00-05:00

Uber has A rocky history with city governments—to put it mildly... Now, Uber is making something of a peace offering. The company is launching a new service that could help cities master their traffic. It’s called Uber Movement, and it uses information on the billions of rides Uber has completed.

Uber Movement is free for the select planning agencies and researchers granted access to it. With it, you can gauge travel times between any two locations. Since, as Uber's chief of transportation policy notes, Uber doesn't actually do any urban planning, they figure they might as well give all this information to the people who do. And, hey, maybe it'll help the ride-sharing company cozy up to previously hostile city governments.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx on the future of transportation: "We had to do something different."

2016-10-28T13:49:00-04:00

Car and Driver caught up with Foxx in Pittsburgh. The DOT chief, previously mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, reflected on the promise of autonomous and connected cars, the recent Smart City Challenge, the massive increase in traffic deaths, the potential of the shared vehicles unfolding right outside the window, and more. What follows is a transcript of our conversation, lightly edited for grammar and brevity.

Uber takes to the skies with a new advertising strategy in Mexico DF

2016-10-17T18:45:00-04:00

Mexico City is notorious for its gridlock (and the smog it produces). The ride-sharing platform Uber has taken advantage of this captive audience with an unusual advertising medium: drones.

As reported by Bloomberg, Uber has sent off a fleet of sign-bearing drones to hover over windshields. “Driving by yourself?” asks one in Spanish. “That’s why you can never see the volcanoes.”

Mexico City represents Uber’s biggest market, so the unique (and aggressive) advertising strategy makes some sense. No word yet on any drone-provoked fender benders.

For more on Uber and its influence on cities, follow these links:

The story behind Didi, China's "Uber Slayer"

2016-10-06T18:41:00-04:00

In August, after a multibillion-dollar, year-and-a-half-long battle, Uber agreed to sell its business in China and depart the country. It was a face-saving retreat for Uber, which got a 17.7 percent ownership stake in Didi and $1 billion in cash. [...] Investors recently valued Didi at $35 billion, making it one of the most valuable private companies in the world. Uber, with operations in almost 500 cities on six continents, is worth $68 billion.

The view from inside a self-driving Uber: "the technology is not quite ready"

2016-09-15T13:06:00-04:00

During my ride, along a few miles of road near Uber’s testing facility in an old industrial neighborhood, the car performed admirably in many difficult situations...and I mostly felt pretty safe. However, several times the person behind the wheel needed to take control [...] it will take time for Uber and others to perfect fully automated driving. In fact, it remains unclear what needs to be done before it can be considered safe to remove humans from the driver’s seat.

Uber and the future of on-demand public transit

2016-09-01T13:25:00-04:00

Martz’s proposal would make the suburb of Altamonte an unlikely test bed for one future of public transit. It would also raise questions about whether such a future can serve everyone equally, and force Martz to navigate between the transparency of public office and the demands of a multibillion dollar company with a penchant for secrecy. [...] for some transit advocates, the embrace of Uber and its competitors risks undermining civic ideals of accessibility and transparency.

More on the contentious ride-sharing giant:

Uber lets you hail its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh later this month

2016-08-19T14:54:00-04:00

Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved. Google, widely regarded as the leader in the field, has been testing its fleet for several years, and Tesla Motors offers Autopilot [...] But none of these companies has yet brought a self-driving car-sharing service to market.

Related stories recently in the Archinect news:

New study finds ride-sharing apps like Lyft and Uber have no effect on drunk-driving fatalities

2016-08-02T17:43:00-04:00

The introduction of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft hasn't had any impact on the number of fatalities related to drunken driving, a newly published study finds. Researchers at the University of Southern California and Oxford University looked at the 100 most populated metropolitan areas, analyzing data from before and after the introduction of Uber and its competitors, and found that access to ride-sharing apps had no effect on traffic fatalities related to drinking alcohol.

Uber has claimed previously that its services help decrease instances of drunk-driving, by providing an easy alternative to inebriated drivers. Uber cites a study it did with MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, that found "anecdotal evidence" in line with this popular belief, as well as a report by Temple University that pointed to "a correlation between decreased alcohol-related driving fatalities and the introduction of Uber services in California."

Temple University's report didn't control for other variables that could have affected the rate of drunk-driving fatalities, and was focused in California. The takeaway from the USC/Oxford study seems to be that ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft do not necessarily help curb drunk-driving incidents any more than taxis, when all such services are just as accessible.

Without Uber or Lyft, Austin turns to Facebook for rides

2016-06-22T13:30:00-04:00

On May 9, 10,000 Uber drivers effectively lost their jobs. So they did what anyone in 2016 does, they turned to Facebook to mobilize—and soon enough the passengers followed. [...] The new system works like this: A prospective rider posts their pickup location within the group and within minutes several drivers usually comment with their contact information and screenshot of their Uber and/or Lyft profile. From there, the passenger and chosen driver negotiate a trip price privately.

Related on Archinect:

Google launches Waze Carpool with cost-neutral pricing

2016-05-26T18:46:00-04:00

The pilot program is limited to about 25,000 employees of companies including Walmart and Adobe Systems... Waze will match riders with drivers already heading along similar routes during the morning and evening rush hours. [...] Waze Carpool is charging riders just $0.54 a mile, which is also what the IRS recommends companies reimburse their employees per mile for business-related travel. “Waze Carpool focuses on covering costs, not generating an income,” the company explains.

Google purchased Waze, the Israeli GPS-based navigation system with real-time travel details submitted by users, in 2013 for $1.15B. With a fleet of already operating autonomous vehicles, Google stands to leverage its Waze transit data in big ways for an autonomous taxi service that could hit companies like Uber and Lyft hard.

That $0.54 rate for the Carpool rides is also significant because it won't lead to the same insurance-scrutiny that has plagued other ridesharing companies:

Waze Carpool’s $0.54 rate is also important from a regulatory standpoint. As Waze explains, car insurance policies in states including California typically cover “not for profit, share-the-expense carpooling.” By framing its operations that way, Waze Carpool may be able to avoid the scrutiny around insurance coverage that has at times sidelined Uber and Lyft.

Related on Archinect:

Protesting fingerprint checks, Uber and Lyft end rides in Austin

2016-05-11T13:01:00-04:00

The decision to leave an energetic city known for its young, well-educated population offered a stark illustration of how strenuously the companies oppose new rules that would require them to perform fingerprint background checks on drivers. Ending the service also meant that about 10,000 drivers would be out of work, Taylor Patterson, an Uber spokeswoman, said. “Folks are devastated,” she said. “People are saying, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to pay my rent.’”

In cities like Austin—with no comprehensive rail service, a dominant car culture and a large youthful population—ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are omnipresent. Lyft sponsored the city's huge annual SXSW festival in 2016, and as the city has been growing "faster than any other metropolitan area in the country," public transportation for tourists and commuters alike is strained.

Other ridesharing services besides Uber and Lyft will continue operations in the city, while Lyft and Uber consider how to continue operating in other cities (like New York and Houston) that also require drivers undergo fingerprint background checks.

More ridesharing news:

...

A look at the history and future of the American commute

2016-05-02T17:34:00-04:00

"The idea that you can replace the 10 trips with one autonomous car and travel less distance, that’s the biggest misconception," says Fagnant. "You can get rid of vehicles, but not vehicle miles traveled. Without ridesharing, there's an 8 to 10 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled based on simulations we've run in Austin. You’re not replacing trips [..] the vehicle has to bounce between locations, and relocate to where it’s needed. Those in-between miles will create a lot of extra travel."

Google, Uber, Lyft, Ford and Volvo join forces to lobby for autonomous vehicles

2016-04-28T12:51:00-04:00

Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a lobbying group with the express purpose of advocating autonomous driving. [...] "Self-driving vehicle technology will make America's roadways safer and less congested," [David Strickland, a former administrator of the NHTSA] said [...] "The best path for this innovation is to have one clear set of federal standards, and the Coalition will work with policymakers to find the right solutions that will facilitate the deployment of self-driving vehicles."

Lyft has also been in talks with General Motors (which is not a part of the Self-Driving Coalition) to put out its own group of autonomous for-hire vehicles. Models for Google's vehicles include both bespoke prototypes and Lexus SUVs, and Uber is developing its own testing grounds for self-driving cars in Pittsburgh.

Related on Archinect:

Women-only Uber alternatives face pushback from antidiscrimination laws

2016-03-30T17:04:00-04:00

Civil rights lawyers say the new service being touted by local entrepreneurs, Chariot for Women, would probably conflict with Massachusetts’ antidiscrimination laws. [...] safety of female passengers has dogged Uber and Lyft Inc. and regulators around the country are debating new requirements for ride-hailing services that include [a] background check [...] SheTaxis, or SheRides, faced questions from regulators in 2014 when it launched an app that connects female passengers with women drivers.

More on the technology and ethics of ride-sharing:

Kalasatama, Finland goes carless (and yes, there's an app for that)

2016-03-17T14:21:00-04:00

Abandoned commercial port turned progressive inner city district of Helsinki Kalasatama is being developed purposefully to test out new urban ways of being. First up for this pioneering zone: a Mobility-as-a-Service app, which is basically the Nordic version of Uber except it wants to integrate all forms of public transit into one app. It's currently being tested by fifteen car-free citizens with the hope of making the entire district a non-vehicular-ownership zone by 2030.

Next up for the district, according to a press release: "a sharing economy app that allows residents to trade services; apps developed from data produced by sensors for remote monitoring of street waste containers; and novel sensors that monitor the expiration of foods, intended to reduce food waste." The more residents who want to participate in these test programs, the better: although the current population is hovering around 2,000, city leaders expect it to grow to 20,000 in the next fourteen years.

Mass transit may benefit expansion of Uber and other for-hire car services

2015-09-10T19:21:00-04:00

A combination of (mostly) public transit along with some Uber rides can be affordable for a wider range of customers than Uber alone.

According to a study of New York City's private-car hiring habits, many of those who hired Uber did so as an extension of public transit: in other words, instead of Uber-ing all the way to a particular destination, a wider socioeconomic spectrum of New Yorkers frequently use some combination of public transit and private car services in their daily lives. For Uber to expand beyond the got-money-to-burn segment of the population, places with public transit may be a great place to start.

For the latest (and arguably) greatest in Uber news:

• Uber brings Mad Max to Seattle

• Uber faces suspension and $7.3M fine in California

• Two Uber executives detained in France

Uber brings Mad Max to Seattle

2015-09-01T12:44:00-04:00

To promote the new Mad Max video game coming out at the start of September, Uber teamed up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment this weekend to give fans in Seattle real rides in real Fury Road vehicles. Through Monday (we know — not enough time, life isn't fair, etc.), those going to and from the city's PAX Prime gaming convention will have the chance to nab a varied set of postapocalyptic chariots that seat either one, three, or four other riders.

The rules are simple:

Trips must begin and stay within downtown Seattle. The Wasteland is vast and gas is precious — the Warboys must remain near their Stronghold.
Your dollars are worthless in the Wasteland. Payment shall not be required.

Here's a look at some of the cars helping to bring new meaning to "disruptive innovation":

Data Crunching the Uberization of New York City

2015-08-12T12:59:00-04:00

The recent debate between Uber and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over whether the ride-for-hire company was exacerbating Manhattan congestion was fueled by incomplete, misleading data. There was no way of knowing exactly where Uber cars and taxis pick up passengers, and so the city agreed to a study of Uber’s effects last month as part of its detente with the company. Now, thanks in part to a Freedom of Information Law request, we have data. A lot of data...

The folks over at FiveThirtyEight processed a nearly-overwhelming amount of data on Uber usage in New York City and got some pretty interesting (if not entirely surprising) results. At the top of the list, their research verifies the ride-share company's claims that their doing a better job in serving the city's Outer Boroughs than traditional cabs. "Of the 4.4 million Uber rides for which the data shows a pickup location, 22 percent started outside of Manhattan, compared with just 14 percent of the 88.4 million yellow and green taxi rides," they note.

Some other findings include:

63% of all Uber rides start in Manhattan south of 59th St. (the most traffic-congested area in the city, as well as the part best-served by the subway).
Uber is particularly well-used in the affluent NW Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale, as well as the NE Queens neighborhoods of Little Neck and College Point, while traditional taxis remain dominant in the regions of Queens closest to Manhattan.
In general, man...

Uber faces suspension and $7.3M fine in California

2015-07-16T13:07:00-04:00

an administrative judge recommended that the ride-sharing giant be fined $7.3 million and be suspended from operating in California. [...] Uber has not complied with state laws designed to ensure that drivers are doling out rides fairly to all passengers, regardless of where they live or who they are.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the crux of this decision comes not from questions of the ride-sharing app's legality in general, but its ethical practices in actual transit. In 2013, "ride-hailing firms" were made legal in California, with the requirement that companies like Uber provide data about a ride's fairness, that services are provided "regardless of where they live or who they are". The judge's ruling states that Uber hasn't been providing the necessary data, including "the number of requests for rides from people with service animals or wheelchairs; how many such rides were completed; and other ride-logging information".

Uber will appeal, and the $7.3M fine and suspension can't be instated until that process is over. The company asserts its position of not having to hand over any additional data.

Worldwide, Uber in particular has courted controversy, inciting riots in Paris recently. But the home-state ruling for the company could hit harder.

More Uber news:

Two Uber exec...

Parisian Exports and Silicon Valley Imports on Episode #37 of Archinect Sessions

2015-07-09T19:17:00-04:00

Our episode this week revolves around Paris – city of lights, riots, artists and cheese-shaped skyscrapers (or at least, those are the bits were talking about). As part of a nationwide strike against UberPop, the cheapest Uber-affiliate in France, taxi drivers in Paris launched a riotous protest on June 25, terrorizing Uber drivers and generally disrupting Parisians in transit (and Courtney Love).

Contention (albeit the nonviolent kind) also arose in response to Herzog & de Meuron's new Tour Triangle skyscraper, which Paris officials approved on June 30. It will be the city's first skyscraper since the much-maligned Tour Montparnasse was built in 1973, precipitating a height limit on new buildings (that has since been relaxed). Critics are unhappy about the Triangle's intrusion onto the Parisian skyline, and its inhospitable-looking atmosphere on the street level.

Paul also shares his conversation with Guggenheim Helsinki winners Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki, following up on ...