Possible Futures: Life On Mars With Open Architecture
- Name
- OPEN Architecture
- Images
- Nácasa&Partners Inc.
- Words
- Rosie Flanagan
OPEN Architecture and Chinese electronics company Xiaomi have collaborated to create a housing option for life beyond the earthly realm—the prototype is called ‘MARS Case’, and is currently on show beside Ai Weiwei’s Bird’s Nest National Stadium in Beijing.
‘MARS Case’ is the result of House Vision, a cross-industry innovation and research platform that explores future living possibilities. In their statement about the project, the designers explain; “Two hundred years ago, Henry David Thoreau withdrew from society and moved to Walden alone to reflect upon the nature of simple living. Today, in an era of environmental crises and seemingly endless material consumption, we must ask ourselves—what are our essential needs?”
The ‘MARS Case’ building has no unnecessary ornamentation, its interior instead a glowing white space where electronics, architecture and design merge. Inside the home, heat, exhaust, condensation and other byproducts are recycled, and the building itself returns energy, air, and water to an integrated ecosystem. This effort in living simply comes through necessity, Mars, of course, is not fit to sustain human life. The 2.4 x 2.4-meter pod itself is lightweight and compact, all of the internal elements of the home can be folded and stored within it for transportation, to a location in this world or beyond.
Find more stories about unique cabins here on IGNANT.
All images © Qingshan Wu and Nácasa&Partners Inc.
