Space Architecture : MoonCapital

This week I’ve had the chance to research space architecture since the first jury is behind us i wanted to give myself a break. In my research I’ve came across this project that’s called MoonCapital, it is a project that is designed to be built on the moon and it really took my attention. If you are interested in this topic i highly recommend you to check out this project 🙂 I want to share a part of the article with you.

MoonCapital is a design proposal for a second-generation habitation located on the rim of Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole in the year 2069, 100 years after the first man arrived on the Moon. Based on current and anticipated technology and scientific knowledge, it develops a realistic scenario of how 60 and more people may live on the Moon 55 years from now. In 2009, Architecture and Vision worked on a series of extraterrestrial habitats, such as the MoonVille project, to develop an architectural vision of a settlement on the Moon 40 years after the first moon landing. MoonVille was based on the concept that the limited amount of energy and resources on the Moon results in a defined size of settlement, similar to a medieval town, that corresponds to the amount of available farmland. In contrast to this, MoonCapital is investigating the principle of cellular growth based on a series of modules. The ongoing architectural research on how humans can not only survive but also live in Space

is an important contribution to the scientific community The lunar south pole is the most promising location for a human settlement since there are peaks of eternal light, breaking the lunar day/night cycle, which last 28 earth days. On the other hand, a cable lift leading down into the Shackleton Crater would allow the establishment of an astronomical research station with a large, deep-space telescope with absolutely no light pollution- a big step forward in the exploration of our universe. The impact of micrometeorites in the south pole is also less, and moonquakes, though there is not yet enough research on them in this location are another issue to consider.

A Modular Community with Low-Gravity Sports and Sculpture

Radiation is posing one of the most severe problems of human space flight, and this has led to a proliferation of proposals for underground lunar habitations. The MoonCapital project, however, proposes the building of domes covered with lunar soil (regolith) as a controllable engineering solution that also allows humans a feeling o protected openness on the Moon’s surface The domes, over inflatable modules form an intelligent skin, protecting from radiation and micrometeorites and allowing sunlight through a daylight-direction system inside. They are also a visible architectural testimony of human presence on the Moon Built using inflatable and self-hardening concrete technologies, they are covered by a 3-metre (10-foot) thick layer of small regolith-filled sandbags, filled and mounted by small swarm robots, which also clear the site.

Inflatable light receptors collect sunlight and direct it into the domes, where it can be used to translate the 28-day lunar day/night cycle into a 24-hour terrestrial day/night cycle. A digital projection allows artificial simulation of the Earth’s skies on the surface of the domes, and can also play movies The smallest community and initial phase consists of two domes: a large one for the habitation and working modules, and a smaller one for the agriculture modules to produce food, and to recycle air and water. The modular system allows growth and extension as the new lunar society develops. MoonCapital contains facilities for research, production and leisure, and a small hotel for visitors. Spaces inside the domes not oCcupied by pressurised modules are used for rover docking and maintenance, radiation-protected surface science, and low-gravity spacesuit sports like moon soccer and moon tennis Sculptures will be installed in the vacuum environment to fulfil inhabitants’ desire for culture, but also to aesthetically explore this fascinating environment The inflatable modules are designed to fit into a 6-metre (20-foot) diameter rocket fairing, leaving many options open for future launch capabilities. They have a deployed diameter of 11 metres (36 feet) and three levels. Main circulation is on level 0, from where levels-l below and +1 above can be accessed. The modules are connected by rigid carbon-fibre nodes that allow three horizontal and two vertical connections and also contain noisy equipment such as life support. The modules have windows to allow views outside into the dome and virtual windows that allow a radiation protected view onto the lunar landscape Vertical circulation is realised by muscle powered lifts and staircases. Ceiling height is kept between 2.4 and 2.6 metres(7.9 and 8.5 feet), and uses soft padding as it is easy to reach this height by jumping in one-sixth of the Earth’s gravity For the rather compact spaces, a low ceiling height is beneficial for the perceived spatial proportions and keeps the pressurised volume low as well as the environmentally controlled volume. However, the arrangement als0 provides large spaces for gymnastics, reaching up to 6 metres (20 feet) ceiling height, in which to enjoy and explore the low gravity.

A Stimulating Interior in Monotonous Exterior

MoonCapital’s directive is human-centred: the interior planning of the modules is defined by safety,social behaviour and psychological needs. However, in reality a moon habitation is more a machine than a living environment as we know it on Earth, and space architects therefore need to consider human needs even more carefully. MoonCapital creates and respects private, semi-private, semi-public and public spaces to allow individuals maximum personal freedom in a confined environment Sensory deprivation is also a main concern where the sky is always black and going out to ‘breathe some fresh air’ is impossible: environmental control (temperature humidity, pressure, illumination, olfactory), communication, audio systems and food are all employed as stimulating countermeasures to this. A combination of sensors and algorithms can individually react on the people and expose them to the unexpected Surfaces, decor, artwork and interactive devices such as electronic sculptures can further enrich daily life on the Moon.

Module Eden: The Lunar Paradise

In the larger habitation and working dome of MoonCapital’s initial phase three Paradise Modules, or Module Eden One to Three, have a normal earth atmosphere and contain aeroponic plants such as strawberries and apples that are in blossom over the year and bear sweet fruits and berries. These modules differ from the purely food-producing, robot controlled agricultural modules: butterflies and birds fill them with movement and natural sounds, tables and benches allow people to meet there, to relax or just look at the plants, hear the birds and smell the air, creating a public park for the lunar inhabitants. The transparent skins also illuminate the dome and can be seen from the windows of other modules. Module Eden forms the green heart of the MoonCapital and a connection with home the planet Earth, casting its blue light into the black Moon sky.

further information and photographs from http://www.andreasvogler.com/portfolio/mooncapital/

Say Hi To: HUMAN SCALE!

Our assignment took a turn with this week’s critics. After getting suggestions on how to use the space and how to relate those spaces we were told to work with variations of human scales. It shocked the whole studio because it is a brand new thing that we are getting introduced to. I was really excited to experience with the human scale when we were discussing the assignment. I could think on a few things and i had things shaping in my mind before starting to work with the construct and it’s always good to have different ideas before starting to produce the model.

They told us that we could revise our excisting construct if we wanted but we were suppose to put variying-scaled humans, ”hans” as we discussed on the studio, on our first construct. And then we were suppose to produce another construct which had one fix human scale. So we were assigned to choose one of the human scales that we used on the first construct and produce another model that we were going to varry accourding to the change of the scale. It sounded fun!

Firstly, our last constract that we produced had half-folded rectangles to create a ”coming together” image. But overall we decided to revise it to include further of the paragraph and use more of the potantials of the folded-rectangles. Here is what we came up with:

We worked with units and variations. Tried to make the model continuous and tried to achieve ”closing in itself” by relating the folded-rectangle on different parts of the constract. We decided on the human scale considering  the length of the spaces and how hans can fit there, how many hans can fit there and what kind of experience would they go through. I can now see that we placed some hans on some of the planes without considering the ”space” which we understood after the critics.

And here is our second construct:

We scaled up some spaces and we scaled down some spaces and we came up with this construct. Here the fix scale is 1/45. We worked with 1/90 and 1/27 so it’s how it turned out when we doubled some spaces and scaled down some places to half.

This assignment was one of the most exciting assignment that we worked with in my opinion. I had a lot of fun with trying to get familiar with the human scale. While we were working on the construct I really wanted to achieve what we were tasked with so when we got a nice grade for this it made me really happy 🙂