INFORMING SPACE: A HUMAN CENTERED APPROACH TO DESIGNING A(N) (ADAPTIVE) MODULAR DWELLING ON MARS
Disciplines
Environmental Design
Abstract (300 words maximum)
With tech giants like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin teaming with
NASA to spearhead the mission to Mars, this provides an opportunity for
architecture and design to engage in the conversation of the inevitable future
of space exploration.
Research will explore structure, material, and form as a means of developing
an adaptive and parametrically informed dwelling for the first astronauts that
will land on Mars. This thesis explores the intersection of the physical built
environment and the psychology of astronauts in a remote, foreign and harsh
environment. How can a shelter provide the essential needs for humans to inhabit
Mars while allowing humans to thrive both psychologically and physically?
A biomimetic method will be explored concerning structure, through an
investigation of previous research on the anatomical stability of lightweight
structures which occur naturally such as cancellous bones, foams, and bubbles.
The structure will subsequently inform the material which will be used on the
surface of Mars. The use of in-situ resources like the abundant Martian regolith
available to astronauts by the agency of robotic arms for an additive method of
fabrication will ensure formation of strong sustainable structures.
Previous approaches such as human-centered design and the seven principles
of universal design will inform the volumes and spaces inside the dwelling.
Structure and material will inspire the form, that responds to the harsh Mars
environment (surface pressure, relentless dust storms, decreased gravity,
etc). The form will then be iterated according to these conclusions with infinite
outcomes that support the parametricism, flexibility, and individuality of the
architecture.
All of this will be conducted while simultaneously studying circulation, program,
and adjacencies to uncover the connection between the built environment and
its effect on psychology and solve the basic problems of living in a foreign
environment.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM - Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jeffrey Collins
INFORMING SPACE: A HUMAN CENTERED APPROACH TO DESIGNING A(N) (ADAPTIVE) MODULAR DWELLING ON MARS
With tech giants like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin teaming with
NASA to spearhead the mission to Mars, this provides an opportunity for
architecture and design to engage in the conversation of the inevitable future
of space exploration.
Research will explore structure, material, and form as a means of developing
an adaptive and parametrically informed dwelling for the first astronauts that
will land on Mars. This thesis explores the intersection of the physical built
environment and the psychology of astronauts in a remote, foreign and harsh
environment. How can a shelter provide the essential needs for humans to inhabit
Mars while allowing humans to thrive both psychologically and physically?
A biomimetic method will be explored concerning structure, through an
investigation of previous research on the anatomical stability of lightweight
structures which occur naturally such as cancellous bones, foams, and bubbles.
The structure will subsequently inform the material which will be used on the
surface of Mars. The use of in-situ resources like the abundant Martian regolith
available to astronauts by the agency of robotic arms for an additive method of
fabrication will ensure formation of strong sustainable structures.
Previous approaches such as human-centered design and the seven principles
of universal design will inform the volumes and spaces inside the dwelling.
Structure and material will inspire the form, that responds to the harsh Mars
environment (surface pressure, relentless dust storms, decreased gravity,
etc). The form will then be iterated according to these conclusions with infinite
outcomes that support the parametricism, flexibility, and individuality of the
architecture.
All of this will be conducted while simultaneously studying circulation, program,
and adjacencies to uncover the connection between the built environment and
its effect on psychology and solve the basic problems of living in a foreign
environment.