Being an architect in an extraterrestrial environment

This article explores the concept of space colonization through the lens of architecture, with a focus on how design practices are evolving to support long-term human habitation beyond Earth. The idea of living in space has long captivated human imagination and has progressively transformed from speculative thought into a legitimate area of scientific and architectural inquiry. As technological capabilities have advanced—particularly since the onset of the digital age in the 1950s—concepts once considered surreal have increasingly come to be seen as attainable. A pivotal moment in this trajectory was the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969, which not only marked a monumental achievement in space exploration but also reinforced the plausibility of space colonization. With continued technological development, the acquisition of extraterrestrial data has become significantly more efficient, enabling researchers and designers to gain insights into the environmental conditions of other planets. This access to information has prompted architects and designers to conceptualize entirely new forms of habitat typologies suited to extreme and unfamiliar contexts. Given that one of the fundamental responsibilities of architecture is to create habitable environments for human life, organizations such as NASA have initiated interdisciplinary collaborations with architectural professionals to explore how humans might sustainably inhabit extraterrestrial environments. Design proposals in this field primarily aim to address the challenges posed by harsh environmental conditions, including water scarcity, elevated radiation levels, and toxic atmospheric compositions. Consequently, proposed structures must meet specific criteria: they must be sustainable, recyclable, and capable of autonomous construction—particularly given the limited availability of materials and the logistical constraints inherent to space environments. To examine these developments, this study adopts a narrative literature review methodology. Sources analyzed include academic databases, space agency publications, and notable architectural proposals such as NASA’s Mars exploration initiatives, AI SpaceFactory’s MARSHA habitat, and BIG Architects’ Mars Science City. By synthesizing findings across these sources, the study identifies key thematic trends in material innovation, habitat design, and sustainable construction strategies. The following sections outline these findings in detail, offering a critical discussion of how architecture is being redefined in preparation for a multi-planetary future.