INFORMING SPACE: A HUMAN CENTERED APPROACH TO DESIGNING A(N) (ADAPTIVE) MODULAR DWELLING ON MARS

Presenters

Hala AlfalihFollow

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

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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.