Mars Science City – Part 1 - Space Architecture Design Studio 2020

HB2 MARS SCIENCE CITY

Department of Building Construction and Design Institute of Architecture and Design

Vienna University of Technology

MARS SCIENCE CITY

Space Architecture Design Studio SS 2020

Department of Building

Construction and Design

Institute of Architecture and Design

Vienna University of Technology

2020

HB2

MARS SCIENCE CITY

Space Architecture Design Studio 2020

Published by Vienna University of Technology

Institute of Architecture and Design

Department of Building Construction and Design Hochbau 2

www.hb2.tuwien.ac.at

Editors Dr. Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger

Laura Farmwald

Coverdesign

Gilles Schneider, Armin Ramovic

Copyright

Department of Building Construction and Design, Hochbau 2 (HB2), Vienna University of Technology; authors; students; photographers

© 2020

Images may be used for educational or informational purposes if HB2, TUWien and the author are credited as the source of the image.

ISBN 978-3-9519864-0-1

Print Vica Druck

This project has received funding from the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria | Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

DESIGN TASK

The Mars Science City design studio topic fits into the long-term vision to build a human settlement on Mars. The students were first asked to look far into the future and imagine what a city on Mars would be like.

How do they think people would live in about 100 years on another planet?

What would they take with them from Earth, and what would they want to see totally different?

The student teams have developed a conceptual vision of this city. In parallel they researched and worked on the environmental, technical and social challenges of getting to and being on Mars. Each team was asked to identify three major challenges and / or characteristics, based on their vision.

What would be needed to start the settlement in order to become the city they have imagined?

This was the most challenging part for the student’s teams, and became the starting point for the individual architectural solutions of the near-term project on Mars.

DESIGN STUDIO APPROACH

materials of inflatable and deployable structures, which can be efficiently packed and deployed to a greater volume on site. The students also explored habitat typologies and their specific characteristic of modularity, flexibility and expansion concepts. In dependence of the mission scenario additional transport vehicles for increased mobility and long range exploration is required on site. Other necessary infrastructure includes facilities for gaining and storing energy, robotics and industrial manufacturing, in-situproducution with on-site materials, and much more.

The Mars Science City design studio took place from March to June 2020 at the Vienna University of Technology. During this time, 12 projects were developed and elaborated by the students.

As usual, the studio started at the beginning of March with input lectures. Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger introduced the studio topic and summarized important aspects of going to and building on Mars. Norbert Frischauf gave an overall input on Mars features and required technologies, and Olivier Lamborelle talked about the work on the International Space Station and future training facilities. Following the input lectures, we discussed issues interested for the students and they chose a research topic to prepare for the design of a Mars habitation project.

The topics included basic information on Mars characteristics, specific environmental challenges, science opportunities and past, current and future planned missions. Furthermore specific know-how on required technologies for habitation design; thermal control systems, power supply and energy stowage, shielding, maintenance and supply, … to name a few.

Of great importance for a remote and extreme environmental habitat on Mars are crew- and life support systems, in-situ-resource utilisation and the implementation of technical greenhouses for food production and recycling. Different construction methods were analysed and examined. Research included geometric studies, and

Overall the goal is to secure a safe and sustainable work and living environment. For the human habitation design challenges related to human activities include food production, storage and recycling, hygiene and waste collection. Social constraints and challenges include intensive social interaction and isolation, personal space and territorial issues. Each student team researched and prepared their presentations on selected themes. However, shortly before the next meeting, the course was switched to distance learning due to Covid-19.

It was challenging, and all of us had to adapt to this new situation. The topic of the studio was changed in that together with the students we decided to work on a more detailed concept for a city ON Mars.

The approach of the studio was to first translate their their vision, of what they would like to see in a future city on Earth, into a futuristic architectural concept. After presentation and joint discussions, students were asked to think of how this vision could start.

What would be needed now, in order to realize this distant dream?

This ‚twist of thinking‘ was very challenging for the students.

During the whole semester we could only meet online, and students were spread around the world. Some of the students got up early in the morning to join the sessions. We met regularly and all meetings were open to all. Similarly

to the normal studio, students could listen to and ask questions about other project presentations. Often, we had guests from the larger space community to join us. Our guest usually started with a short input lecture, followed by intense project discussion with the students. The team of Querkraft, Clemens Russ and Fabian Kahr delivered a lecture on the Austrian pavillon in Dubai, Georgios Gourlis from Jung Ingenieure talked with the students about sustainable energy design. We had a lecture on how to plan for future cities by Katja Schechtner, a lecture on Mars mobility by Gerhard Schwetz, a lecture on the Mars ICE House by Christina Ciardullo, and a lecture on Mars science by Gernot Grömer. David Nixon joined us for an intensive project discussion and input on space architecture.

In-between we had an interesting mid-term presentation together with students from the robotic department at the TU Delft lead by Henriette Bier.

The final project meeting was held public and acted as preliminary design review. External reviewers from all over the world joined the discussions with the students.

This is what an online semester looks like.

REFLECTIONS ON SELF ISOLATION

Being stuck at home can be challenging. Isolation, boredom and living in a small place with a limited amount of people are only a few of the challenges each of us is facing at the moment. The students were given the task to create a short video documenting their personal experience during the COVID-19 shutdown. They were asked to critically reflect their self-isolation expierence from an architects‘ perspective.

What are / have been the biggest challenges for you?

How did you overcome them?

Which ones couldn’t you handle?

And what do you think would help in terms of Architecture and Design?

TU Vienna, HB2

Dr. Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger is Senior lecturer at the Institute for Architecture and Design. Her teachings include design courses in space architecture and extreme environment architecture and a regular course on ‘Emerging Fields in Architecture’. Sandra is also director of the Space course at the Science Academy in Lower Austria. She is an architect at space-craft Architektur and expert in habitability design solutions for extreme environments.Over the last 15 years, she has worked and collaborated on several architecture and aerospace design projects. Sandra is Vice-chair of the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Commitee, and Co-chair of the IAA History Committee. She is author of several scientific papers and books, her latest is co-authored with Shery Bishop; Space Habitats and Habitability (Springer 2020) .

EXTENDED TEACHING TEAM

Teaching architecture and expecially the field of space architecture is an interdisciplinary task. It can never be a single endeavour.

This year, I would like to thank the following guest lecturers, critics and reviewers for sharing their knowledge and experiences with the students, and their valuable input to the projects.

Special thanks for supporting the booklet production go to Laura Farmwald.

[in an alphabetical order]

Sasha Alexander PhD has industrial design qualifications, a doctorate in Value Chains, with international experience in new product development and research and currently a university academic with the Sydney, Australia based Western Sydney University School of Built Environment for construction, architecture and industrial design. More recently engagement in design for health and well-being on long duration spaceflight Mars Mission founding the first Australian university-level Interdisciplinary Space Lab (ISL) in cooperation with SICSA University of Houston. Teaching and design research strengths include Design for Circular Economy and Sustainability, integration of UNSDGs for professional practice, inclusive design, telehealth, design for remote indigenous communities, and strategic design management.

Dr. Olga Bannova is a Research Professor at the University of Houston’s College of Engineering, Director of the Master of Science in Space Architecture program and Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture – an academic leader in the field of space architecture and in planning and designing of facilities for extreme environments on Earth. Olga conducts research and design studies of orbital and surface habitats and settlements in space and for extreme environments on Earth. She has authored dozens of technical research papers and journal articles, and a book Space Architecture Education for Engineers and Architects (Springer, 2016). Olga is a Chair of the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee.

After graduating in architecture from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, Henriette Bier has worked with Morphosis on internationally relevant projects in the US and Europe. She has taught digitallydriven architectural design at universities in Austria, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and since 2004 she mainly teaches and researches at Technical University Delft with focus on Robotic Building. She initiated and coordinated the workshops and lecture series and finalized her PhD on System-embedded Intelligence in Architecture. She has been appointed professor at Dessau Institute of Architecture. Results of her research are internationally published in books, journals and conference proceedings and she regularly lectures and leads workshops.

Sheryl L. Bishop, PhD is Professor Emeritus and Social Psychologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Nursing. As an internationally recognized behavioral researcher in extreme environments, for the last 30 years Dr. Bishop has investigated human performance and group dynamics in teams in extreme, unusual environments, involving deep cavers, mountain climbers, desert survival groups, polar expeditioners, Antarctic winter-over groups and various simulations of isolated, confined environments for space at remote habitats (e.g., Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA, HiSEAS in Hawaii, USA and the FMARS and Mars Project on Devon Island, Canada).

Christina is an architect with a background in astronomy and philosophy, bridging a career of practice and research at the intersection of the natural sciences and the built environment, designing for a sustainable future for Earth and Space. She is a PhD student at the Center for Ecosystems in Architecture and the co-founder of SEArch+, Space Exploration Architecture. In her work at SEArch+, Christina and her partners worked with an interdisciplinary team to win first place in the 2015 and 2019 NASA Centennial Challenges to 3D Print a Martian Habitat. She consults with NASA Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Center on closed-loop sustainable habitats. Ms. Ciardullo has also served as the 2016/17 Buckminster Fuller Institute Fellow and 2015/16 Ann Kalla Fellow / Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture.

Mahsa Moghimi Esfandabadi has three master‘s degrees in the architecture field that cover the past (M.A. in Iranian Architecture Studies), the present (M.S. Architectural Engineering), and the future (M.S. AeroSpace Architecture). She is the first Middle Eastern who graduated from AeroSpace Architecture from the University of Houston, and is also the first Middle Eastern at Space Architecture Technical Committee (SATC). She has worked as a professional architect, project manager, and assistant professor for more than ten years. Currently, she is a consultant for various companies to design habitats and greenhouses for Mars, Moon, and the zero-gravity.

Laura Farmwald is an architecture student based in Vienna. Her work includes film, photography, design and site-related art installations from an architectural point of view. Since 2018 she has been working as a tutor at the Institute of Architecture and Design, Department of Building Construction and Design, HB2.

Dr. Norbert Frischauf is a High-Energy Physicist, Future Studies Systems Engineer and currently a Partner at SpaceTec Partners and Co-Founder of Off-World, MIRA and several other startups. Norbert is an accomplished technologist with a global view in diverse industrial and scientific sectors including experimental physics, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering. As such he was worked at CERN, the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as well as several national government agencies across Europe and the European Commission (EC). Norbert is a leading member in various associations (such as IAA, OEWF), an active science communicator (TV, radio, press) and a keen acrobatic pilot.

Georgios Gourlis holds a Diploma in Architectural Engineering from NTUA and a MSc in Building Science and Technology from TU Wien. His fields of expertise cover building performance simulation, indoor thermal comfort, energy efficient refurbishment and the utilisation of BIM in the integrated planning process with regard to building energy modelling. Among other projects, he has been intensively involved in the development of the innovative climate concept of the Austria Pavilion for the EXPO 2020 in Dubai and in the FFG-flagship research project Balanced Manufacturing – BaMa, which resulted in a holistic method and a software toolchain for enabling companies to combine the success factors of energy, time, costs and quality in production and operational planning.

Dr. Gernot Groemer is the director of the Austrian Space Forum; he is an alumni of the International Space University and holds a PhD in Astrobiology. He teaches at the University of Klagenfurt in the field of Mars exploration and Astrobiology. Moreover, he is a lecturer at various universities and is a member of the Board of Mentors of the Space Generation Advisory Council. Gernot is an active analog astronaut at the Austrian Space Forum logging 113 simulated EVA-hours and a total of 30 min of zero-gravity. He led more 13 Mars expedition simulations and coordinates the development of the experimental spacesuit simulator Aouda.X.

2008: art history studies at university salzburg

2010: architecture studies at tu wien

2012: hillebrand bau und immobilien, wals

2016: querkraft architekten, vienna

After having obtained a Master of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering in 2001, Olivier Lamborelle floated in the space business and never left it. After working in Paris and Brussels, he became an anstronaut instructor at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany. From 2007 to 2017 he has been teaching space travelers how to perform science on board the International Space Station. In the frame of the human exploration of space, his technical experience covers systems, training (of astronauts & ground personnel) and operations (including real-time support to the International Space Station).

Advenit Makaya obtained, as a double diploma, a Master degree in General Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France and a Master degree in Materials Processing from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. After completing a PhD in Materials Processing from the Royal Institute of Technology. Advenit worked as a Postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, in Nagoya, Japan, conducting studies on advanced metallic materials. He then gained industry experience, as a Lifing Technologist for Rolls-Royce plc in the U.K., performing structural analysis and lifing assessments of critical parts for large civil aircraft engines. He joined ESA in 2014, conducting technology development activities in the field of Materials and Processes and providing support to ESA missions.

David Nixon is an architect who has worked in the space field since 1985. His past projects include: design research and development work on crew quarters for the early Space station for NASA; prototype crew equipment development for NASA and Spacehab; masterplan for 10-year expansion for the Deep Space Network for JPL; X-33 ground facilities studies for McDonnell Douglas; ExoMars rover testing laboratory design for ESA; underground isolation laboratory design for ESA and many more. In the mid2000s, he founded Astrocourier (Ireland) Ltd., a company developing miniature school experiments to support STEM whose first product was space-tested in 2008 on an ESA Foton science mission and zero-g parabolic flight. He is author of the book‚ International Space Station –Architecture Beyond Earth‘ published in 2016 by Circa Press.

Maria Antonietta holds a degree in Nuclear Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino. In 1988 she attended the first Summer Session of the International Space University (M.I.T., Boston, USA) and then became a Faculty member. She is currently member of the Academic Council. Since 1986 she has been working at Thales Alenia Space - Turin, as Program Manager of major ESA and ASI activities. In 2010 she was appointed Director for Advanced Exploration Programs. Maria Antonietta is involved in different activities promoting the development of young professionals in the space industry.She is author of several publications, papers, and reports, and Acta Astronautica Co-Editor. She is a member of different scientific committees, of the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), and of Women in Aerospace and she is President of Explore Mars Europe.

2005 - 2013:

architecture studies at tu wien

2009:

internship - kadawittfeld architektur, aachen

delugan meissl associated architects, vienna

2010:

co founder - unheilbar russ petöfi architektur

since 2013:

project manager - querkraft architekten

Katja Schechtner is a senior urban scientist who holds a dual appointment between MIT and OECD. Currently she focuses on the future of algorithmic governance. Previously she led the transport technology program at the Asian Development Bank; advised the Inter-American Development Bank and the EU Commission on Smart City strategy and headed an applied research lab for Mobility at the Austrian Institute of Technology. Katja has published widely in the US, Asia and Europe, including two books: “Accountability Technologies –Tools for Asking Hard Questions” and “Inscribing a Square – Urban Data as Public Space”. Her work has been exhibited globally at venues such as Venice Biennale, Cooper Hewitt, MAK and ars electronica. She also holds a Visiting Professorship at TU Vienna and curates urban tech exhibitions across the globe.

Gerhard Schwehm studied Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. He was a project scientist and study scientist for numerous ESA missions. He accompanied the Rosetta and SMART 1 project as a mission manager. As a co-investigator he is involved in many dust experiments at the MPI for nuclear physics. He was a member of the Interagency Space Debris Working Group, external member of the NASA Planetary Protection Sub-Group and the ESA Planetary Protection Working Group. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and the IAU named the Asteroid Schwehm after him.

With over a decade of post-ARB registered professional experience and a proven record as a job runner, David has worked on architectural projects with a broad variety of scope and scale. David is the former Chair of the Space Architecture Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), specialised in architectural design and research for extraterrestrial conditions. He is the Chief Editor for the Space Architecture community newsletter „the Orbit“, and has published research papers related to Space Architecture at IAC and AIAA conferences. He is also part of the leadership team for „SpaceArchitect.org“ and its associated events.

THE STUDENTS

Doris Binder (p.)

Aleksandra Brajic (p.)

Bojana Gojkovic (p.)

Alexander Brückler (p.)

Embrah Hamzic (p.)

Eva Maria Kaprinayova

Birk Stauber

Julia Vorraber

Kaitlyn Podwalski

Muhammed Sahil Adnan

Elian-Cornel Trinca

Sofia Ahr

Mykhailo Bula

Maria Ivanonva

Svetla Stoyanova

Julian Graf

Alma Kugic

Rudolf Walther Erdem Neumerkel

Miruna Vecerdi

Melinda Glinac

Armin Ramovic

Gilles Schneider

Shkumbim Ajdari

Xhem Mujedini

PROJECT MAP

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page 139

page 123

page 55

page 31

page 115

page 87

DUNE

a project by

LOCATION

YEAR VISION

YEAR FIRST CREWED MISSION

CREW MEMBERS

SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS

2064 4 to 5 astronauts

DUNE is a concept that draws from animals living in the harshest of environments such as the dessert. The concept aims to take advantage of Mars’ harsh climate and sand storms. The structure is designed to have a shallow pitched roof that is faced windward to collect the dust and use it as natural defence to the severe radiation. This helps limit the use of other materials by advantageously using the surrounding environment for its protection. Dune uses the natural forms found in the surroundings in its design to seamlessly integrate into Mars. DUNE attempts to integrate new technology and natural ancient geometry using the regolith deposits and plastic designed structure. The concept will attempt to minimize the eco foot-print of humans on a raw and untouched planet, creating something that does not disrupt the terrain or the environment and is completely sustainable. It will use Polyethylene plastic shells as the main building material. Polyethylene, the same plastic commonly found in water bottles, also has potential to shield radiation. It is very high in hydrogen and fairly cheap to produce. Polyethylene will create thinner protection from radi-

ation, easier access to light and a thinner and faster structure. It should be possible to manufacture high density polyethylene polymers on Mars using carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and hydrogen from water in the soil. With 3D printing technology we will be able to build a structure that minimizes construction and maximizes light and space. Dune can begin as a small infrastructure or gradually grow to house an entire Martian city.

LOCATION

The concept relies heavily on the natural characteristics of the Martian surface. Nili Patera Dune Field complements our concept of imitating sand dunes and using the deposition of Martian Regolith on top of our habitat as protection from the Galactic Cosmic Rays and other radiation.

The location consists of Barchant Dunes that are found within a crater in Nili Patera. The dunes lie on top of solidified lava beds which indicate a location with rich minerals such as basalt rocks and molten silver. The soil is also reliable for food production as impact glass has been found beneath the surface. The location is also abundant with water , about 4% in mass in the first meter of ground is water.

The Barchant Dunes are a result of one-directional wind due to which sand accumulates and forms dunes. The Aerodynamic shape of the dunes allows for wind to naturally flow and for soil to deposit; this would be the core of our design concept.

TIMELINE

1 DELIVERY AND LOCATING | 2050

The first mission will deliver cargo and a Rover to land on Mars. While the general location will already be known, the rovers’ task is to find the ideal spot within the area.

2 CARGO DEPLOYMENT | 2053-2065

Initial cargo components of the settlement have reached their destination in landers. The two rovers take all components to the settlement location, release the swarm team, deploy external structures such as solar panels and radiators, and prepare for the later arrival of the astronauts.

3 PRELIMINARY HABITAT | 2061

The swarm team, rovers and 3D printers begin to work on the base of minimal configured habitat. The inflatable is now set up and the shell is 3D printed.

4 CREW ARRIVAL | 2064

We are ready for the First Crew Arrival on Mars. Later, cargo missions arrive, bringing additional living units, life support units, and rovers and swarm.

5 SUBSEQUENT INFRASTRUCTURE | 2068

All further missions in the years after the arrival of the first crew are to benefit infrastructure and to begin expansion. The infrastructure for the second crew arrives and is installed by the first crew. Multiple habitats and ECLSS modules are now available to nominally sustain the first crew and to complete pressurization of the two new living modules.

6 EXPANSION | 2085

Multiple Crew Expansions, several crews of astronauts have now landed on Mars. They are received by their predecessors who have completed the construction of the settlement. As successive Mars atronauts and people arrive, the settlement will grow in its capacity for scientific research, experiments, and exploration of Mars, and eventual general living.

7 AUTONOMY | 2105

By this point the astronauts are almost autonomous of earth and quickly fill the city to its full capacity. The expansion continues to be built at maximum efficiency.

NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE

SPACE SHUTTLE :

Known Technology | SpaceX Starship

Diameter | 9 meters

Payload Capacity | 220k-330k lbs

CARGO :

Live astronauts

Folded solarpanels

Wind turbine parts

Prefab materials

Raw printing material

3D Printers

Space suits

Rovers

Sattelites

Launcher

Swarm tech robots

Food for extended time

Life suport system

Soil, Planters and Plants

Diggers and other constr -

cution tools

Spare parts

Large transit vehicle

3D Printing and Swarm Tech

Autonomous artificial swarm robots will be used for their potential for efficient search and rescue missions, construction efforts, environmental remediation, and medical applications. Lab additive printing can be limiting in terms of size, with the current largest lab printer BAAM at 6100mm x 2290mm x 1830 mm.

However, printing technology in architecture is advancing everyday. With project LASIMM (Large Additive Subtractive Intergrated Modular Machine) by Foster and partners and other firms we are able to develop massive scale projects that break the restriction of a print isolated box and are allin-one hybrid machines that enable the production of building components straight from CAD files. These machines feature robotic arms that are mobile and fast and enable distanced construction on a massive scale.

1 | Core Phase

The first phase would be life in the “core structure” which is pre-fabricated in the form of a lander spacecraft. It comprises of all elements of the spatial program and all the essentials needed for survival. Furnishings and walls that would be complex to achieve with robots along with the HVAC and ECLSS systems arrive within this core.

2 |HABITAT PHASE

This stage would involve the expansion of the habitat into the inflatable area. Robots would be deployed from the core and they would start sintering regolith or another suitable material to create the walls. Re-arrangement and expansion of facilities is the main purpose of this stage.

3 | HOME PHASE

Transformation of the habitat into the occupants‘ home is the main goal of this phase. Furnishings and the growth of plants inside the greenhouse add to a more earth-like environment. The crew is settled in and starts working on the luxury elements of each area, that are not essential for sustaining life but are vital to form a home.

MINIMAL CONFIGURATION & EXPANSION

SINGLE MINIMAL

EXAPNSION AND CONNECTION MULTIPLE

STORAGE & EQUIPMENT

SURVEILLANCE & COMMUNICATION

MECHANICAL ECLSS / HVAC

GREENHOUSE

TOILET

GYM

SUITPORTS

SECURITY CHECK

MEDICAL ROOM

KITCHEN

LABORATORY

RECREATIONAL SPACE/ LEISURE

OPEN GREEN HOUSE

RECREATIONAL SPACE/ LEISURE

BATHROOM

ARTIFICIAL SKYLIGHT

RECREATIONAL SPACE/ LEISURE PRIVACY shared semi-private private CORE

PHASE HABITAT PHASE

REMOVABLE WALL

ARTIFICIAL

ENVIRONMENTAL/WASTE FLOW DIAGRAM

Clean Water

Grey Water

Air Flow

WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

HVAC / Thermal Control

Atmosphere Management

WATER PROCESSING SYSTEM

WATER STORAGE

ROVER EXTRACTED WATER