Building for Beyond: A Practical Look at Space Architecture

Space architecture is a strange field. It deals with building environments for places where humans did not evolve and were never meant to live. It borrows from civil engineering, aerospace, psychology, biology, and sometimes speculative design. It’s not about skyscrapers or aesthetics first, but about survival — and then, perhaps, about making that survival more bearable.

Yet over the last few decades, space architecture has grown from a footnote into a discipline in its own right.

Yesterday: Capsules and Constraints

The earliest examples of space “architecture” were capsules: Sputnik, Vostok, Mercury. These were engineering solutions, not designed for comfort or longevity. The first humans in space barely had room to stretch. Life support systems were minimal. The goal was to prove it could be done.

In the 1970s, Skylab and Salyut stations began to introduce interior space — not much, but enough for astronauts to live and work for extended periods. The Soviets introduced modularity, docking additional segments over time.

Then came Mir and, later, the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a patchwork of modules from several nations. It works — but it was never meant to be beautiful, only functional.

Today: Habitats, Simulations, and Constraints

Space architecture today is still mostly theoretical — but the conversation has shifted. Several design teams, research institutions, and space agencies have begun to take habitability seriously.

Simulated Mars bases like HI-SEAS or the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) help researchers understand how layout, privacy, and sensory input affect well-being. Concepts like NASA’s Deep Space Habitat or ESA’s Moon Village and MELiSSA offer early sketches based on real constraints.

Companies such as AI SpaceFactory, Foster + Partners, and BIG have proposed 3D-printed structures using in-situ resources — not for style, but to minimize supply chains.

Commercial stations in low Earth orbit also raise new design questions. The goal is no longer just technical performance. It’s also about usability, comfort, and daily routines.

Tomorrow: Ecosystems, Modularity, and Purpose

Looking ahead, space architecture will likely move beyond the capsule model. Permanent infrastructure — lunar bases, Martian outposts, orbital factories — will demand more than pressurized tents.

We may see:

Segmented habitats with separate functional zones.
Bioregenerative systems integrating algae tanks, plant walls, and water loops.
Gravitational zoning, mixing rotating and static environments.
Remote robotic assembly for large structures pre-positioned in orbit.

In all cases, the question evolves: from how do we survive? to how do we live?

Fiction: Not Prediction, but Inspiration

Science fiction has shaped the way we imagine space habitats. From 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Expanse, fiction tests ideas without cost. Designers freely admit it: they borrow ideas, not as blueprints, but as provocations.

Some of those ideas — like rotating habitats or modular ring stations — are now entering engineering proposals.

Final Thoughts

Space architecture is not about monuments. It’s about making sure humans can function — and stay sane — in places that are fundamentally inhospitable. Its future depends not just on technology, but on understanding what humans need, and how built environments can support those needs.

It’s not glamorous work. But it may be some of the most important design thinking of this century.

By Pedro Lacerda