AD SPACE ARCHITECTURE

Skrevet af NEIL LEACH

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. Contributors include: Anders
Carlson, Anita Genupta, Behrokh Khoshnevis. Space architects: Constance
Adams, Marc Cohen, Ondrej Doule, Scott Howe, Brent Sherwood, John
Spencer, Madhu Thangavelu, Andreas Vogler. Architects: Bevk Perovic
Arhitekti, Dekleva Gregoric Arhitekti, Foster + Partners, Neil Leach,
Greg Lynn, OFIS architects, SADAR + VUGA.