SOCIETY 2023.06.15

How to build space architecture

Transporting building materials to the Moon or Mars and building structures. Some people are seriously discussing "space architecture," something we've only seen in movies and anime, and are actually moving forward with development. Vacuum, zero gravity, space radiation, huge costs of transporting building materials -- what kind of ideas are needed for construction in an environment different from Earth? We spoke to these young and reliable people.

Text: Yuki Imai
Illustration: Zajiro
Photo: Masanori Kawarada

INDEX

PROIFILE

Space Architecture Circle TNL: This student group is made up of students who aspire to create "an era in which humans live in space," and are tackling the unexplored field of space architecture. Currently based in two locations, Kanto and Tohoku, the group has students from various universities from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Its main activities range from publicizing the organization of the Space Architecture Award and holding workshops for students and working adults to design activities such as submitting works to competitions. http://tnlabsa.wixsite.com/tnlab
Shuga Horii: Chief Design Officer at OUTSENSE Co., Ltd. As a junior high school student, he was impressed by the space colonies in an anime and became interested in the study of space architecture. He entered the Department of Architecture at Waseda University and studied lunar base construction methods during his master's degree. He also belonged to the TNL Space Architecture Club and won the Space Architecture Award in his second year of university. Currently, at OUTSENSE Co., Ltd., he is involved in product development using origami structures while planning for a lunar base.
Zajiro: He started out as a "commuter manga artist" drawing manga on the subway on his way to and from work at a major construction company, and his analog style of drawing manga on top of collages depicts urban spaces where dreams and reality are mixed together. His work was selected as a recommended work by the judging committee in the Manga Division of the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2012. In 2016, he expanded the scope of his activities, publishing a picture book called "Big Train."

Space is no longer just a place to go, but a place to live

From the left: Mr. Horii from OUTSENSE Co., Ltd., Mr. Hasegawa, Mr. Hozumi, and Mr. Mizuguchi from the space architecture circle TNL.

Is your organization, TNL, a gathering of people interested in space architecture?

Hasegawa: Yes, the official name is Space Architecture Circle TNL. It is made up of members who gathered under Professor Tono Togame of Tokai University, who is the only person in Japan who specializes in space architecture, and we are planning things like the "Space Architecture Award" and space architecture workshops.

So they serve space food at welcome parties?

Mizuguchi: No, I haven't (laughs). It's too expensive.

That's true. By the way, has anyone ever drunk alcohol in space?

Hozumi: In principle it's prohibited, but...

Horii: There's a rumor that someone in Russia drank it on the International Space Station (ISS) (laughs).

I guess it's vodka after all (laughs). I heard that you are an alumnus of TNL, Mr. Horii, but what kind of work are you doing now?

Horii: I was affiliated with TNL when I was a student, but now I work for OUTSENSE Inc., a company that spun off from TNL.

We are working on the social implementation of "origami structures," with a particular focus on utilizing the "Sogame fold" developed by Professor Tono.

I saw the Sogame folding video! It feels so good to watch. It reminded me of the maps handed out at places like the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL. When you pull out a business card-sized map, it expands to about A3 size.

Horii: That's the "Miura fold." It's a perfect example of space technology being used in the private sector. There are actually many examples of technology developed for space that has enriched our lives on Earth, such as car navigation systems and air purifiers.

Wow!

Horii: While the Miura fold unfolds from a flat surface into a larger plane, the Sogame fold is unique in that it can unfold from a flat or solid state into a three-dimensional object.

What are the possibilities?

Horii: For example, you can create a temporary personal space within an open space. Imagine a table with four chairs around it, and the shade over the light bulb above it is a Sogame-fold structure. When you unfold the shade, it expands into a dome shape, creating a semi-private room where four people can have a proper conversation.

Top left: Stored image Right: Unfolded image ©OUTSENSE inc.

I see! So there's no need to bring out partitions every time. This could be useful for things like company health checkups.

We are also looking into other uses, such as ducts, such as a squiggly duct that expands only when a large amount of water flows in during a flood. By expanding the scope of use in this way, we hope to eventually be able to manufacture space structures, and to see the day when something using our technology will land on the moon.

There are actually many examples of technology developed for space that has enriched life on Earth, such as car navigation systems and air purifiers.

Horii

Shipping costs: 100 million yen per kg

This time, I found out in advance that the moon is really far away.

Mizuguchi: It's far away (laughs).

The ISS flies 400km above the Earth, while the Moon is 380,000km away. How much time does that take?

Hozumi: It takes about three or four days one way, and about a week if you go around the moon and return.

That far! I can always see it so I get the wrong idea, but it's incredibly far away...

Horii: It costs a lot to transport things. It is said that it costs 1 million yen per kilogram to transport something into space.

What about the moon?

Horii: It is said to be 100 million yen per kilogram.

If that popular person goes on a diet, each kilogram is worth 100 million yen! That's in terms of mass, but of course there is a limit to the volume, right?

Horii: Yes. Just like with trucks, there is a limit to the space you can load it into, so of course it costs money, and there is debate as to whether it is really worth taking into space.

Space architecture involves winning that precious space, transporting and building structures.

Horii: That's right. There are several methods, such as inflatable structures that inflate things like tents on-site, or refining a material called Lunar Concrete on-site and molding it with a 3D printer, but what we at OUTSENSE are doing is using deployable structures.

Hozumi: We at TNL gather under Professor Togame, who is an expert in origami structures, but we also study various construction methods to broaden our horizons. For example, this is a proposal to build a snowball fight stadium on Mars...

"Martian Yukigassen" (Snowball Fight on Mars), the work that won second place in the international competition

Cool!

Hozumi: Thank you. This is "Martian Yukigassen," which won second place in the international competition Mars City Design. The theme was "Sports on Mars." On Mars, dry ice snow falls, not water snow, so I proposed a snowball fight that takes advantage of the sublimation (change of state from solid to gas) property of dry ice.

How to make this?

Hozumi: 3D printing. As for works using other techniques, there is this one that was submitted to the Space Architecture Awards, which we recently hosted and which also allows entries to be submitted.

Exterior. A Martian home with an artificial farm inside. The modular structure can accommodate a variety of lifestyles and population sizes. The exterior walls are made of Martian concrete, while the interior walls are made of plastic made from algae. All materials are 3D printed and can be procured locally.

Is this "spoiler sofa" soft?

Mizuguchi: This is called Martian concrete, and it's concrete made from Martian soil.

They're all made locally. They all have cool names!

Mizuguchi: That's right (laughs).

On Mars, the snow that falls is dry ice rather than water snow, so we proposed a snowball fight that takes advantage of the sublimation (changing from a solid to a gaseous state) property of dry ice.

Hozumi

Work style reform in space too

Based on what we've heard so far, is it fair to say that space architecture is currently just a fantasy?

Horii: That's right. "Architecture" is only necessary when people are "residing," that is, staying for a long period of time, so there has been no demand for it up until now. However, in recent years, the space development race has intensified, including with private companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and demand is also increasing.

Any concrete plans?

Horii: NASA has announced the "Artemis Project," which aims to reach Mars. In response, space venture companies are all rushing to pitch their ideas.

The partner company has not yet been decided.

Horii: Yes. And by 2028, we plan to build what is called a lunar base, which is not a spaceship.

Is the environment really different from Earth? I wonder if it's easier to carry heavy objects because there's no gravity.

Horii: Yes, in terms of gravity, but it is a harsher environment than Earth. There is regolith, a glass-like sand, floating around, and because there is no atmosphere, tiny meteorites that would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere before hitting the surface constantly fall, and there is also exposure to cosmic radiation that is blocked by the ozone layer.

That's tough... Even if they bring in the structures, will the astronauts have to assemble them?

Horii: Yes. Simplify it as much as possible.

Like furniture that doesn't require a screwdriver!

Horii: Yes, that's right. However, if it's built by humans, it's very costly. Astronauts' salaries are high (laughs). Of course, not only money but also time is valuable, so we are actively discussing how to build space architecture in a cost-effective manner. For example, we might just open the deployable structures after they've been taken away, or leave things that can be done by robots.

It seems that work styles are also undergoing reform in space.

Hasegawa: That's right (laughs). Speaking of robots, there are also these.

It looks like a hornet's nest.

Hozumi: This is a space architecture for Mars proposed by a team called HASSEL. They will build a habitat with tents and 3D print the surrounding area with locally produced concrete. If you look at around 2:20...

Amazing! The robots create their own scaffolding, which then overlap in layers to create something like a defensive wall. This isn't a typical example, but even when watching movies, there are a lot of round things in space architecture.

Horii: A dome or semi-cylindrical shape has good air pressure efficiency. If you think about it rationally, this is how it makes sense to make it harder for internal pressure to build up.

There is active discussion about how to make space architecture as cost-effective as possible. For example, things like taking the deployable structures and then just opening them, or letting robots do what they can.

Horii

What it means for an artist to go to space

Why are you all so fascinated by space architecture?

Hasegawa: I think it's fascinating that no one has done this yet, and that I can be at the cutting edge just by thinking about it. Because there are still few people working on it, I am sometimes called upon as an "expert" like I am today, and it's surprisingly easy to meet astronauts (laughs).

I see. So even students can quickly become top runners!

Hozumi: Speaking of actually building it, I'm excited to think that we might be able to build something that makes people think, "When you think of the moon, this is it!", like the Showa Base in Antarctica. In the case of the moon, the American flag that was planted by Apollo now plays that role. I think the next thing will be a building, so I'm looking forward to it.

A "Reiwa Base" may be created!

Mizuguchi: I think that space architecture can make people dying to go into space.

Some people talk about taking artists on space trips, and I feel that would be incredibly valuable.

Art has an incredible destructive power and the power to move people's hearts.

A work created by an artist who has been to the moon and back. There is a good chance that people who see it will be inspired to "Save my whole life and save up money to go to the moon!"

Mizuguchi: I believe that architecture, like art, has the power to move people's hearts. For example, if we create a really fun hotel, people will think, "I want to stay there too!" I want to find out what we can do.

Art has a tremendous destructive power and power to move people's hearts. A work created by an artist who has been to the moon and back. There is a good chance that people who see it will think, "I'm going to save up all my money and go to the moon, even if it takes my whole life!"

Mizuguchi

A building that explodes into pieces

When I hear the word "living," I think of a "town" made up of multiple residences. When I tried to draw the universe, I realized how much the icon of a "town" fights against gravity. Elements that identify a city, such as stairs and arches, have no meaning in a world without gravity. So I tried drawing a town like Zaha Hadid's early drawings, a collection of buildings that explode in all directions in the dark.

Zajiro (commuting manga artist)

What is "POP UP SOCIETY"?	"POP UP SOCIETY" is an irregularly published magazine that ASNOVA ran from March 2020 to March 2022 with the aim of getting the general public interested in the industry and contributing to the mid-to-long term shortage of young talent in the temporary construction industry. It introduces unique and experimental initiatives from Japan and abroad through interviews with people and companies, experience reports, and more, focusing on temporary construction.

What is "POP UP SOCIETY"?

"POP UP SOCIETY" is an irregularly published magazine that ASNOVA ran from March 2020 to March 2022 with the aim of getting the general public interested in the industry and contributing to the mid-to-long term shortage of young talent in the temporary construction industry. It introduces unique and experimental initiatives from Japan and abroad through interviews with people and companies, experience reports, and more, focusing on temporary construction.