INTRODUCTION TO SPACE
As we leave our own planet, we become critically aware of our dependance on it. In the void the only space for our existence will be inside our built environment, inside a piece of architecture, acting as a surrogate for all of Earth’s resources. The structure, form, organization, and material instantiation of architecture must sustainably account for all our very limited materials and how we interact with them and with eachother. In the struggle to explore beyond our atmosphere, we will invest in the technologies necessary to envision a future for Earth architecture integrated with it’s planetary systems.
But what is required from us, is not only these technical solutions but a vision of which can both inspire us to continue to pursue our most cherished dreams of the future. We will explore both the highly technical and the existential in parallel, we examine the place of the human being in the larger universe, and its coexistence with and co-dependence on technology and ecology, materials both silicon based and carbon based.
The realm of space for the architect challenges some fundamental beliefs about the role of the design professions and design education:
Are we suggesting real projects to be completed, or are we simply speculating? What is the difference? Are we making science or science fiction?
What does interdisciplinary really mean? And how does the architect bridge between disciplines?
Through the lens of the extreme, what is it that truly matters in design: human culture, physical comfort, psychological or social structures, systems integration?
THE MISSION
Mars, the planetary neighbor nearest to us in terms of characteristics, with rocky mountains and canyons, sandy deserts, volcanoes, ancient riverbeds, and polar ice caps, is harsh with winters as cold as -195F and its atmosphere is a near vacuum full of unbreathable carbon dioxide, but now seems to beckon to us with signs that the subsurface is brimming with water ice and even liquid water in the equator, a resource required for human life. The journey there (and back) will be equally harsh, without air, water, food, or material save the interplanetary dust; with the sun as our only source of power, but equally dangerous in the radiation reaching us outside the cradle of the Earth’s magnetic field.
Sometime beyond our first pioneering missions, we will be establishing what our future in space looks like. After planting the flag, what will continue to support our presence there? What materials will we draw on? What will we be doing? Where will we be going? We will focus on our relationship to materials, technology, and the human experience and acknowledge how the future we project for ourselves reflects our relationship to our own planet. We will begin with the NASA’s baseline assumption of 6 astronauts on a 500 Day journey to Mars, in transit, on the surface, and back, but the students will be researching their own program for a Mars Surface of Transit Habitat in context of our long term vision for human exploration.
THE STUDIO
Exploring both the highly technical and the existential in parallel, we will spend equal parts in awe and in earnest. Students will be expected to be versed in the most cutting edge construction methods from robotic construction to 3D printing; as well as the most critical issues of human community and human experience. We will examine the scale of the human endeavor and its coexistence with and co-dependence on technology and ecology, materials both silicon based and carbon based. To this end, we will spend the first half engaged in group discussion and guest lectures which will each contribute to a weekly pinup addressing:
Resources (in Time and Space)
Scale and The Human Body (in Time and Space)
Technology (in Time and Space)
The first half the semester will be devoted to research, group discussion, and individual development of scale, programming, planning, and resource and material selection using primarily diagram, timelines, and scale drawing. The midterm deliverables will focus on these elements, while the second half will focus on tectonic and spatial explorations, through the means of physical model making and interactive or experiential communication.
The studio follows an iterative research and application methodology. In each cycle we will conduct group research and discussion followed by individual application. The studio encourages active discussion and debate through both group discussion and online forums.
“Much of the most exciting and important point about tomorrow is not the technology or the automation at all, but that man is going to come into entirely new relationships with his fellow men. ”
PROGRAM
Space or Surface Habitat for a Post-Pioneering Mission
Human Living Functions (sleeping, eating, eliminating, cleansing)
Human Productive Functions (research, data collection, observation, building, construction)
Human Support Program (food, medical, social, janitorial, repair)
Systems Program (energy, water/air filtration/circulation, computational equipment)
FINAL DELIVERABLES
Habitat Scale Drawing and Model
Human Scale Drawing and Model
Habitat Scale: Timeline of Human Activity
Human Scale: Timeline of Human Occupation
Scaled Network/Program Diagram
Scaled Resources/Closed-Loop Diagram
Building Material Sourcing Diagram
Concept of Operations
Experiential Video
In addition to the continual display of work on the website, following the semester, we will compile a document of final work, to share with our colleagues and guest speakers from around the CMU campus and NASA Centers. It will be up to the class to inspire ideas of a visionary future in our colleagues from other disciplines.
STUDIO TRIP AND GUESTS
The studio will be visited by experts across disciplines at CMU in astrophysics, geophysics, and robotics. We will have a relationship with Carnegie Mellon West at NASA Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and will visit NASA Johnson Space Center. The ability to learn from and communicate with an interdisciplinary audience beyond the architectural community is a critical skill in the development of the architect, not only to be able to integrate expert knowledge in a variety of fields with an architectural concept, but to be able to display and communicate a visionary future to a wider audience.
STUDIO EXTRAS
The semester will also include optional extra activities of interest including observation nights with the astronomy department, group viewing of “The Martian” and “2001 Space Odyssey,” discussions with leading NASA space architects, and the “construction” of a 1:1 scale space station.
GRADING METHODS
The final project and documentation will account for 50% of your final grade and the previous 8 assignments (0-7) will add up to the remaining 50%. Each assignment will be evaluated on the following criteria
Project Creative Merit (75%)
Competency/Skills 15%
Takes Risks 15%
Solves Problem 15%
Thinks Innovatively 15%
Connects/Synthesizes 15%
Active Group Participation (25%)
For more information on creative evaluation click here.