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we could escape via hydrogen power says Susana Sousa Egido, architect, Goddard Littlefair.

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Living and working in the busy tangle of London’s streets, I often think how nice it would be to have a bird’s eye view of the city and be able to rise above the grime and noise of urban life, once all work and tasks are completed for the week.

How about weekend escape pods, where you wouldn’t even have to leave the city, staying instead in luxury air balloons that could be located in all the Royal Parks (or any other park in any major city)? Guests would be shuttled up the tensile wire moorings in a mini-shunt, activated by personalised smart-cards, before arriving at the centre of the hydrogen-powered structure.

There they would find a two-storey, solar-powered, fully stocked luxury apartment with dimmable, screened shutters for sleeping in and amazing views from the viewing platforms, thanks to the balloons’ mechanised setting, doing one entire rotation every 24 hours.

Susana Sousa Egido
Susana is an architect at multi-award-winning design practice Goddard Littlefair, a luxury-design expert in the hotel, restaurant, spa and residential sectors, working internationally for clients including Corinthia, Hilton, Principal and Intercontinental hotels, Canary Wharf Group and Qatari Diar.