Space Architecture.

SPACE ARCHITECTURE.

‘Fundamentally, space architecture is an extension of Earth architecture.’

-SATC (Space Architecture Technical Committee)

WHAT IS SPACE ARCHITECTURE?

Has it ever occurred to you that architecture is a practice of designing inhabitable structures not just on Earth? If in its true sense shelters are only meant to provide convenient housing/ ambience to its users then a challenge awaiting our future generations is about to appear at our windows soon.

Space architecture has been the mouth of all since SpaceX made history by being the first private company to launch its first crewed mission to space, and if ever will we be able to call it our extended home.

Space architecture mostly explores the scope of designers and scientists to create structures that are inhabitable in space for astronauts and commoners like us in the future. They could be portable or non-portable.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

Space architecture is not just a phenomenon that is written about in books and researched in labs. It could possibly unbolt the door for generations to come who will have enough resources to sustain.

According to Michigan State University, we have consumed more resources in the year 2018 than we could regenerate that same year. To satiate such demands of the world’s population we need resources from I.5 times of Earth’s supply.

World’s increasing population and unsustainable development is not a new episode in our lives, keeping this in mind if there is a home away from Earth where could it be? And will we be able to survive it? It is important to understand that for sustaining all life forms thriving on Earth we need to look for a new home.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A SPACE ARCHITECT?

According to the SATC, architecture has been associated with the outer space since the 1960s. It was noticed that the skill of designing spaces had a tremendous impact on developing space stations and planetary bases alongside engineers. Creating designs to combat extreme environments like high/ low radiation, atmospheric pressure, gravity, and temperature amongst other factors is the key role of a space architect.

WHO ARE THE ARCHITECTS CURRENTLY WORKING ON SUCH PROJECTS?

1. Foster& Partners- 3D Printed Mars Habitat, Lunar outpost Design for ESA.

2. Ar. David Nixon- Variable Gravity Space station prototype and testbed.

3. SEArch + NASA- Mars Ice Home

4. Hugh Broughton Architects- Scott Base

5. Ar. Thomas Rousek, Ar. Katarina Eriksson, Ar. Yan Bilobrovenko, Ar. Vittorio Rossetti, Ar. Veronika Rabas, Ar. Adam Ctverak, Ar. Giuseppe Reibaldi- Global Moon Village.

6. SEArch+, CloudsAO, NASA- Cybele.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A SPACE ARCHITECT?

A space architect is ought to acquire knowledge of designing in extreme conditions of the outer space and not just on our home planet. Space architecture is one such field where one has to be self-disciplined to learn new concepts each day. One can be graduate/ postgraduate in the field of architecture, engineering or industrial design and research enough to gain knowledge on the same for becoming a space architect. Various paths lead to the same destination and similarly here one must find his/ her own path to learn about human space exploration.

Source: https://spacearchitect.org/