Hamburg WindBus
Project overview
Exploring how urban mobility could adapt to natural rhythms rather than around-the-clock availability
Client
Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
My role
Concept, Design, Fabrication
Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft invited creatives to develop design fiction projects exploring mobility and energy in Hamburg in 2040.
My project is set in a near-future Germany where a belated transition to renewable energy and electric mobility has exposed the fragility of transportation systems dependent on abundant, uninterrupted energy. In search of a self-sufficient mobility alternative, the city develops wind-propelled buses that “sail” along Hamburg's main traffic arteries, making transportation once again responsive to the weather.
In an era of material constraints, resilient low-tech solutions have become valuable again: bus stops are equipped with windsocks instead of digital displays to help travelers gauge bus direction and travel time. Seasonal wind forecasts help people plan ahead.
Rather than proposing a return to a preindustrial economy of windmills and sailboats, the project explores how Hamburg might adapt by giving the weather a greater say in the rhythm of everyday life. By questioning assumptions about convenience, efficiency, and always-on infrastructure, it asks what forms of mobility might emerge when we design with ecological conditions rather than trying to overcome them.
Presented at Hamburg Innovation Summit 2026. Comissioned by Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft.