News / pervasive media studio
First look inside the house designed for life on Mars
A futuristic new building stands proudly among the masts and rigging of Bristol’s shipping heritage.
The Martian House is the culmination of seven years work from duo Ella Good and Nicki Kent and is soon ready to welcome intrepid visitors.
Plonked next to M Shed and currently the Matthew, it is a public art project designed to withstand life on Mars – a hostile, freezing, dry planet filled with radiation.
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Complete with hydroponics room, solar panels and the ability to limit exposure to galactic and cosmic radiation, the building represents one unit, designed for two astronauts, of an imaginary community that could be built on the planet.
Made from a pressurised inflatable gold-coated foil, the structure would be filled with Martian regolith, or soil, to overcome the planet’s micro-gravity conditions. The two-storey building’s lower level is designed to be built underground within Mars’ lava tubes.
@bristol247 A full-scale house, designed for human life in outer space, has landed on the harbour ??? #bristol #bristol247 #lifeonmars ♬ Space Whispers – Grand David
Bringing together scientists, architects, engineers, designers, school children and the public, The Martian House explores how considering future life on the red planet, with low power, zero emissions and zero waste, can provoke creative thinking about how to live more sustainably on earth.
Its idea is to “spark conversations that go beyond the project, rather than providing all the answers”, according to artists Good and Kent.
They pair, who are residents of Watershed Pervasive Media Studio, said: “This project is a place for research and experiments about the future. Using Mars as a lens because of its resource limited nature helps focus our conversations around what we need and how we want to live.”
The “prototype Martian house” was built to a budget of £50,000, with an additional £20,000 spent on workshops
Their vision was brought to life by Hugh Broughton Architects with design studio Pearce+, along with science and engineering experts from the University of Bristol. Southern Construction Framework, along with a band of contractors, in total donated £170,000 worth of materials to realise the project.
“This is the first Martian House to receive a building consent and it is so exciting to see it built in Bristol,” said architect Hugh Broughton, known for designing Antarctic research stations .
He added: “The project provides an alternative approach to space design which represents the interests of everyone, not just governments and the super-rich.”
Anurita Chandola, a designer whose work focuses on creative clothes for future space travellers, is leading on textiles and fashion within the house.
The house is presented in partnership with M Shed and coincides with their Think Global: Act Bristol exhibition.
The Martian House opens to the public every Wednesday and Saturday from August 31 to October 16. Viewings are free but booking is required.
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read more: House designed for future life on Mars being built in Bristol
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