Space Architecture

Forty years on from the first moon landing, architecture in Space
is entering a new era. Over the last decade, there has been a
fundamental shift in the Space industry from short-term pioneering
expeditions to long-term planning for colonisation, and new
ventures such as Space tourism. Architects are now involved in
designing the interiors of long-term habitable structures in Space,
such as the International Space Station, researching advanced
robotic fabrication technologies for building structures on the
Moon and Mars, envisioning new 'space yachts' for the super-rich,
and building new facilities, such as the Virgin Galactic 'Spaceport
America' in New Mexico designed by Foster + Partners. Meanwhile the
mystique of Space remains as alluring as ever, as high-profile
designers and educators - such as Greg Lynn - are
running designs studios drawing upon ever more inventive
computational design techniques. This issue of AD features the most
significant current projects underway and highlights key areas of
research in Space, such as energy, materials, manufacture and
robotics. It also looks at how this research and investment in new
technologies might transfer to terrestrial design and construction.

Space architects: Constance Adams, Marc Cohen, Ondrej Doule,
Sandra Häuplik-Meusburger, Scott Howe, Brent
Sherwood, Madhu Thangavelu, Andreas Vogler, Robert Zubrin.

Architects: Bevk Perovic Arhitekti, Dekleva Gregoric
Arhitekti, Foster + Partners, Neil Leach, Greg Lynn, OFIS
architects, SADAR + VUGA.