Bjarke Ingels has joined the building-on-Mars party. BIG's prototype Martian city, dubbed Mars Science City, is designed to be an environment dedicated to the knowledge, education, and exhibition of the technologies necessary to inhabit mars.
But what's even the point of this discussion? Especially in times like those which we are currently experiencing, isn't the thought of building a city on Mars a bit quixotic? Perhaps, but as Ingels points out, of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, eight of them deal with the built environment. And when it comes to the built environment on Mars, sustainability is key.
The purpose of designing for Mars can be summed up in one word: innovation. The solutions architects, designers, scientists, researchers and the like come up with for living on Mars can and will help right here on Earth. Space travel has already given us dozens of innovations and inventions that we now use on an everyday basis; scratch-resistant lenses, shock absorbers for buildings, solar cells, and memory foam were all originally created to help solve a very specific problem associated with space travel.
As Ingels says in his talk, "The exact same principles and the exact same systems that will allow us to live on Mars are the very same that will allow us to be great custodians on earth."
See Also: Designing for the final frontier: Space architecture
Watch the entire presentation from Bjarke Ingels below.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Sustainability | Sep 20, 2021
A Beginner’s Handbook to LEED Building Design and Construction
Sponsored | Sustainability | Sep 17, 2021
The Benefits of Investing in ESG Sustainable Business Practices
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices are a hot topic in the corporate world. Here’s why you should prioritize them in your business.
Sustainable Design and Construction | Aug 20, 2021
Latest UN IPCC report on climate change should be cause for concern among AEC professionals and the real estate industry
The UN IPCC report on climate change is a must-read for architects, engineers, contractors and developers.
Sponsored | Sustainability | Aug 20, 2021
Measuring Sustainability: Determine Where You Stand and What to Do Next
Measuring sustainability operations is necessary to prove your sustainable facilities practices. To measure your success, there are two key factors you need.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Sustainability | Aug 3, 2021
Construction Association launches new initiative to address climate change by pushing for construction of fewer carbon-intensive projects
While the new initiative includes steps construction firms can take to operate more efficiently, the bulk of the effort is focused on pushing for public and private project owners to build more efficient projects.
Wood | Jul 16, 2021
The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab
In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 2, 2021
A new approach to cold storage buildings
Cameron Trefry and Kate Lyle of Ware Malcomb talk about their firm's cold storage building prototype that is serving a market that is rapidly expanding across the supply chain.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Sustainability | Jun 23, 2021
The world’s first Passive House Certified cidery completes
River Architects designed the project.
