Space Architecture - Coming to a Planet Near You

Space travel is a concept that has many different faces. In pop culture, it’s an exciting opportunity for adventure. In terms of scientific advancement, it allows us to make many new discoveries about our planet and others. When billionaires get their hands on it, it’s a different matter entirely. The recent Blue Origins flight has brought a lot of attention to the concept of commercial space travel and the possibility of space tourism. However, the arguable publicity stunt of sending six women into space (none of whom have a background in the field) for 11 minutes has led to a sour reception that discredits the work of real women astronauts and aerospace engineers. Additionally, the astronomic proposed price tag of the journey is apparently in the region of about $28 million… per seat (Roulette, 2021). With commercial space travel being so obviously out of reach to all except a wealthy few, it can sometimes be easy to disregard advancements in technology designed for living on other planets, as it is painfully clear that nearly all of us will never get there. However, while this may be the case, a positive side to this is that the advancements made outside of our atmosphere are not only useful there. In fact, over the last few years, the technology that has been developed in response to conditions in space/on other planets has proven increasingly useful for projects still being constructed on earth.

Figure 1 - A potential layout of the pods comprising Hassell's Lunar Habit.

In the ArchDaily article “Designing for Two Worlds: How Space Exploration is Shaping the Future of Architecture on Earth”, Diogo Borges Ferreira points out that a number of materials and buildings styles currently being utilised in space architecture are also having an impact on earth construction. One of these is modular design. When used in space, modular components can be adapted and transported easily which makes them incredibly useful for constructing or rebuilding livable spaces. A showcase of this is the proposed Lunar Habit Master Plan designed by Hassell, which is made up of a series of inflatable pods joined by an interlocking mechanism that allows for flexibility when it comes to the base's layout (Carlson, 2024).

Meanwhile, on earth, modular design can be used to create housing quickly, efficiently, and for less money. This means that it is ideal for situations such as creating housing in the case of natural disasters where many people suddenly need shelter in a very short span of time. Equally, modular design could be useful as we continue to see the ongoing effects of climate change, as the flexibility this design offers would allow for “easily replaceable modules” that can be altered to fit “changing… environmental conditions” (Ferriera, 2024). This would allow housing modules to be easily switched out for ones that were designed according to the needs of their inhabitants (such as being flood proof, or incorporating methods of cooling/heating the interior).

Figure 2 - A rendering of what 3D-printing on the moon could look like.

Another potential design solution that has been furthered by space architecture is 3D-printing. Firms such as Aurelia Institute and ICON have both explored the medium as a potential way to lessen the amount of resources that astronauts need to bring with them, while also ensuring that crews have the flexibility and autonomy to create items that they need over the course of their journey (Eberhardt, 2024). ICON proposes that one day space travel will include sending a robot ahead of the crew to “3D-print a landing pad for additional spacecrafts… storage… and… inhabitable structures”. (Eberhardt, 2024). This development in 3D-printing technology in has led to some interesting breakthroughs.

Figure 3 - For Everyday.Life's rendering of their entry into ICON's Initiative 99 Open Category.

While teams propose that regolith/lunar soil (Brennecke, 2023) could be used to construct 3D-printed objects and buildings on the moon, this process of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) applies to earth too. Construction here could also take advantage of using local resources, which will allow for faster construction and reduced waste. The ability to use local resources like soil also makes it ideal for “remote areas” and areas that are under threat of natural disasters (Ferriera, 2024), as the distance materials need to be transported or the difficulty in creating them no longer becomes such a barrier to construction. In fact, ICON’s Initiative 99 Open Category encouraged architecture firms to use their 3D-printing technology to create sustainable and affordable housing designs in the Salinas region of Puerto Rico which regularly experiences hurricanes (Florian, 2024). The possibility of using 3D-printing to quickly recoup after a disaster demonstrates the widespread use of technologies developed with space travel in mind.

In short, while space architecture is a new and still evolving field of study, it is already clear that its developments have a massive impact both here on earth and in space. It’s true that space travel’s exorbitant price tag may prevent it from ever becoming widely accessible, but it is also true that the developments in space architecture are serving construction on our planet that (due to climate change) is experiencing more changeable weather, more extreme environmental conditions, and more natural disasters than ever before. As the development of this field continues it’s clear that the people still living on earth will also experience some of its uses.

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Figure 4 - The album cover for Reworks (2024) by Dakka Skanks.

This post's thumbnail was inspired by Dakka Skanks' Reworks (2024) album cover. The band merge a lot of genres, including ska, punk, and dub. This EP sees them taking 2 iconic ska songs, and 2 iconic punk songs, and "reworking" their covers into the other genre. In the same way that these songs work well in both genres, space architecture works well both in space and on earth.

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Sources:

Brennecke, T. (2023, March 7). Life on Mars, but how? A few architectural considerations. Parametric Architecture. https://parametric-architecture.com/life-on-mars-but-how-a-few-architectural-considerations/?srsltid=AfmBOoryR0u7gwSdf0RDLIKc8KHkJggfTs832tD2rRbOt6h5sjfRnYK8

Carlson, C. (2024, January 19). Hassell designs inflatable moon base for the European Space Agency. Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2024/01/19/hassell-inflatable-moon-base-european-space-agency/

Eberhardt, E. (2024, Octover 15). Space architects are preparing for humanity's return to the moon. Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2024/10/15/space-architecture/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=251024%20Dezeen%20In%20Depth&utm_content=251024%20Dezeen%20In%20Depth+CID_3da55f051b237d9f1a9324d1c1ca0d0b&utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail&utm_term=Read%20the%20full%20story

Ferreira, D. B. (2024, August 30). Designing for Two Worlds: How Space Exploration is Shaping the Future of Architecture on Earth. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1019663/architecture-beyond-earth-how-space-exploration-is-shaping-the-future-of-architecture?ad_campaign=normal-tag

Florian, M. (2024, May 28). Rebuild with 3D Printing: For Everyday.Life Designs Community-Focused Homes for ICON's Initiative99 Competition. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1017098/rebuilding-with-3d-printing-for-everydaife-designs-community-focused-homes-for-icons-initiative99-competition?ad_campaign=normal-tag

Roulette, J. (2021, October 13). How much does a ticket to space on New Shepard cost? Blue Origin isn't saying. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/science/space/blue-origin-ticket-cost.html

Figures:

Figure 1 - Carlson, C. (2024, January 19). Hassell designs inflatable moon base for the European Space Agency. Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2024/01/19/hassell-inflatable-moon-base-european-space-agency/

Figure 2 - Ferreira, D. B. (2024, August 30). Designing for Two Worlds: How Space Exploration is Shaping the Future of Architecture on Earth. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1019663/architecture-beyond-earth-how-space-exploration-is-shaping-the-future-of-architecture?ad_campaign=normal-tag

Figure 3 - Florian, M. (2024, May 28). Rebuild with 3D Printing: For Everyday.Life Designs Community-Focused Homes for ICON's Initiative99 Competition. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1017098/rebuilding-with-3d-printing-for-everydaife-designs-community-focused-homes-for-icons-initiative99-competition?ad_campaign=normal-tag

Figure 4 - Dakka Skanks. (2024). Reworks [Album]. Dakka Skanks Music.