RCA’s vehicle design course has undergone a transformation since we visited last summer – although it became clear that, rather than a complete pivot away from traditional automotive styling into transport solutions, it’s more an expansion to encompass the full spectrum.
The university itself states: “Intelligent Mobility builds on the success of the world-renowned Vehicle Design programme at the RCA and looks to the future of transportation design, placing this in the context of an increasingly complex environment.”
“Automotive and transportation design is expanding and includes new challenges relating to the user experience (UX), autonomy, electrification, rapid urbanisation and strategic planning. Intelligent Mobility seeks to address these challenges through design vision and applied expertise.”
“The MA Programme encourages a design-led, highly personal and ideological approach where key themes such as vehicle aesthetics, sustainability, emerging markets and human cultural factors can be met with impactful and relevant design proposals.”
The resulting projects include everything from making the London Underground easier to withstand, to VTOL flying pods and a mobile grand piano, with all sorts in between. We’ve picked 16 projects that give you a good taste of what philosophical research projects were on display at their Kensington campus, which you can find in the sidebar.
