Architecture to the moon!

What currently makes you excited about the future of Architecture?

Is it advancements in technology like computational design and new AI platforms.

Or are you more socially orientated and excited about cutting edge design concepts for public housing?

For me it is innovation.

Context

Contrary to popular belief, innovation drives civilization and lifts people out of poverty.

The architecture, engineering and construction industry has stagnated for a long time and is ripe for innovation.

In 1961 John F Kennedy announced the plan to put an American on the moon and kicked the space race into overdrive.

People remember Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon, but often overlook the many innovations required to achieve that milestone.

Innovations that have real impact down here on earth.

The Apollo missions saw the development of things like GPS satellite, water filtration systems, more efficient solar cells, cordless tools and insulin pumps to name a few.

But what does all this have to do with architecture?

Aside from the development of BIM and more recently AI, there has not been a lot of development in the AEC industry.

If you take a step back and look at it, we are still operating in a similar way to how we did in the 1960's.

But that might be about to change.

In 2017, NASA announced the Artemis Program with the goal to return humans to the moon.

Only this time they intend to stay.

The plan is to set up a sustainable human presence on the moon with the long-term objective to enable human exploration of Mars.

I am also guessing some mining might take place on the moon to help fund all this, but that is a different conversation.

If humans are going to inhabit the Moon and Mars, they are going to need somewhere to live and work.

Something tells me commuting might be out of the question for this one.

Like here on earth, people are going to need protection from the environment or lack thereof.

This is where architecture enters the new space race.

Material Science

Building on the moon is going to be incredibly difficult.

Radical advancements in construction methods will be necessary, reshaping how we build on Earth as well

To begin with, astronauts going to lunar surface will need to have habitats ready for their arrival.

The obvious answer to this would be to send up a portable habitat as part of the rocket from earth.

However, this can only be temporary, and the space taken up by portable living quarters could be better used for essential supplies.

It is easy to forget that sending cargo to space, especially something as heavy as building materials, is expensive.

Even with SpaceX’s advanced Starship.

A better option would be to have robots go up months earlier to begin building with materials that are abundant on the moon.

To start this, we will need to innovate with material science, maybe find a way to use the abundant regolith as a material.

Could these types of advancements lead to new methods of construction to replace concrete and steel here on Earth?

I am no material scientist, but I have watched enough documentaries to know there are organisms and fungi called extremophiles that live in the harshest of conditions.

Could their incredible natural advantages be exploited for creating a structure?

It sounds crazy but humans have made structures out of living plants all throughout history (and I am not talking about chopping down trees and using the lumbar).

I read recently that there have been new discoveries of fungi that feed on the radiation close to the Chernobyl Nuclear plant called radiotrophic fungi.

A fungus that uses a process called radiosynthesis to convert ionizing radiation into chemical energy.

You can read more about this from the following articles en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus

www.cnet.com/science/fungi-found-in-chernobyl-feeds-on-radiation-report-says/

Maybe, instead of our traditional methods of construction the answer is growing a structure into a temporary frame made of regolith or even mixing the regolith with the fungi to create a concrete like material?

There is research going into using fungi now if you're keen to read more:

www.earth.com/news/mycocrete-new-material-made-of-fungi-hopes-to-replace-concrete-in-construction-projects/

Using fungi to create a structure is an innovation that will completely change how we build here on Earth too.

Imagine growing a building.

Robotics, Drones, AI and 3D Printing

I mentioned earlier about robots doing the building on the moon.

For decades now NASA has used robots on Mars to explore and do research.

The Curiosity Rover is the first that comes to mind.

This makes sense.

It is much easier for a robot to do the work as they can withstand the hostile environment, and they can work 24 hours a day (I use the Earth Day, but you get my point).

To use robots, we are also going to need to innovate with drones and robotics, AI and 3D printing.

These robots are going to have to be automated, be able to work together and be capable of thinking for themselves.

These technologies alone will revolutionize construction here on Earth.

Imagine a swarm of drones and robots on site constantly working together around the clock to get a building up.

If we can program the drone swarm to construct directly off our BIM model, then how much need is there for a general contractor?

I predicted in my previous blog that society will end up replacing the middleman in transactions throughout society.

So why can't architects and engineers construct the buildings of the future themselves??

This sounds like it is straight out of science fiction, but it could soon be a reality.

There is nothing like a space race to kick innovation into overdrive.

All this doesn’t even mention the advancements in hydraulic, mechanical and electrical systems that will need to occur.

Every aspect of architecture, engineering and construction will have to be innovated to achieve this mission.

Conclusion

For those people who think this is science fiction then realize that Artemis is scheduled to have a base set up on the moon by the year 2030.

Let that sink in for a minute.

That is only five years away.

We are the first generation that can say that working and living on the moon is a possibility.

If you think our industry isn’t going to change dramatically over the next decade then think again.

I have spoken previously about how I think our industry will not change until robotics catches up with AI.

The Artemis Program will accelerate the disruption we face.

While it is hard to predict the future, we should better prepare ourselves by moving towards a 3D data driven workflow and thinking about how we can build our internal systems to accommodate robots doing the construction.

Robots won't read 2D pdfs.

They will be so much more efficient with 3D spatial data.

We should be exploring technologies like 3D printing and material sciences to reimagine how a building comes together on site.

Are we ready for the radical transformation ahead?

The future isn’t waiting—are we ready to build it?