Living on Mars is not yet a reality, but the version of a house to inhabit the red planet already exists here on Earth — more specifically in Bristol, England, reports the Fast Company Brazil.
This “Casa Marciana” was created by artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent with a different objective than one might imagine. With a realistic architecture, far from the fantasy image of extraterrestrial life, the proposal is to use “the hypothesis of moving to Mars as a way of reflecting on our lives here on Earth, questioning how we live now and how we would like to live in the future”, explain the artists.
The project was developed in partnership with architecture and design companies Pearce+ and Hugh Broughton Architects (which has already created several scientific research stations in Antarctica). Space scientists were consulted about the weather conditions on Mars and how this could impact the project.
In addition to professionals, the public also had the chance to give their opinion on Casa Marciana during workshops held in Bristol, in which people could suggest what they believed was important in the house.
What's the house like?
Divided into two floors, the house, entirely powered by solar energy, has bedrooms for two people and a “Martian bathroom” in the basement. On the upper floor, made with inflatable material, there is a compact kitchen and the “hydroponic living room”, full of plants.
Hugh Broughton, director of one of the architecture firms responsible for the project, explains the importance of vegetation: “they are living creatures – they need care, and we can feed on them”. He also states that the care they require is another fundamental factor for extraterrestrial habitation. “It’s very therapeutic, especially in an alien environment,” he explains.
The upper floor of the house, which has a window and skylight, is made with gold coating, which helps maintain a pleasant temperature inside. The idea would be to fill the internal walls with a material found in Martian territory, which would contribute to supporting and insulating the internal environment. But at the Bristol exhibition it is filled with air.
Although the proposal brings technical solutions to the many challenges that a move to Mars presents, the project wants to instigate reflection on life on Earth based on visitors' imagination about what it would be like to live in a house on the red planet. “I'm sure there are technical flaws, or someone would certainly say 'that's the dimensions of the rocket and your house wouldn't look like that', but that's not the point,” says Broughton.
Located next to the M Shed Museum, Casa Marciana is open to visitors in Bristol for five months, with a series of talks and workshops on sustainable living. Check out more details about the house in this video.
