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
Codes and Standards | Feb 18, 2015
USGBC concerned about developers using LEED registration in marketing
LEED administrators are concerned about a small group of developers or project owners who tout their projects as “LEED pre-certified” and then fail to follow through with certification.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 18, 2015
Make It Right unveils six designs for affordable housing complex
BNIM is among the six firms involved in the project.
Museums | Feb 18, 2015
Foster + Partners' National Museum of Marine Science and Technology breaks ground in Taiwan
The museum will be home to an aquarium, exhibition space, and waterfront views.
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2015
ASHRAE, USGBC, IES consider biomass requirements in green building standard
The proposal would add biomass to approved renewables.
| Jan 21, 2015
Tesla Motors starts construction on $5 billion battery plant in Nevada
Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory,” a $5 billion project on 980 acres in Sparks, Nev., could annually produce enough power for 500,000 electric cars.
| Dec 29, 2014
Leo A Daly's minimally invasive approach to remote field site design [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]
For the past six years, Leo A Daly has been designing sites for remote field stations with near-zero ecological disturbance. The firm's environmentally delicate work was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.
| Dec 28, 2014
Using energy modeling to increase project value [AIA course]
This course, worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, explores how to increase project value through energy modeling, as well as how to conduct quick payback and net present value studies to identify which energy strategies are most viable for the project.
| Dec 23, 2014
5 tech trends transforming BIM/VDC
From energy modeling on the fly to prefabrication of building systems, these advancements are potential game changers for AEC firms that are serious about building information modeling.
| Nov 25, 2014
Behnisch Architekten unveils design for energy-positive building in Boston
The multi-use building for Artists For Humanity that is slated to be the largest energy positive commercial building in New England.
| Nov 21, 2014
STEP Foundation, Green Building Initiative Team to Promote Building Sustainability
The STEP Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing technology industry benchmarks for sustainability practices in the built environment, and the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization committed to accelerating the adoption of sustainable building practices, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
