Space Habitat by SOM

Life Beyond Earth

Architects at SOM team up with The University of Manchester to envision graphene-enhanced structures in space.

What does an architectural practice do when they’ve mastered the built environment on planet Earth? They set their sights on outer space, of course. Having designed everything from airports and hotels to workplaces and cultural institutions – not to mention the world’s tallest skyscraper – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) have now put forward a vision for a space habitat.

Working with experts at The University of Manchester, the interdisciplinary studio has revealed what human life in space could look like – with a graphene-enhanced habitat developed to meet anticipated demand for settlements beyond Earth. “As architects, our role is to combine and integrate the most innovative technologies, materials, methods, and above all the human experience to designing inhabited environments,” comments Daniel Inocente, Senior Designer at SOM. “Conducting research using graphene allows us to test lightweight materials and design processes that could improve the efficacy of composite structures for potential applications on Earth and future use in space.”

Graphene, which was first isolated by Nobel Prize-winning scientists at Manchester in 2004, offers new possibilities in a variety of applications. Incorporating the material for advanced structural capabilities such as radiation shielding, as well as developing and employing a new generation of robotic machines to make these graphene-enhanced frameworks, has the potential to revolutionise high-performance lightweight forms.

Adding to SOM’s design and engineering expertise, Dr Vivek Koncherry and his team – supported by Graphene@Manchester, which leads business-facing development of graphene at the university – are creating a scaled prototype of a space habitat with pressurised vessels designed to function in a space environment.

“The work being led by Dr Koncherry and his colleagues is taking the development of new composites and lightweighting to another level, as well as the advanced manufacture needed to make structures from these new materials,” explains James Baker, CEO of Graphene@ Manchester. “By collaborating with SOM there are opportunities to identify applications on our own planet as we look to build habitats that are much smarter and more sustainable.”

The space habitat launch coincides with a series of world-firsts for graphene in the built environment – including the first external pour of graphene-enhanced Concretene, a pioneering road surfacing material.