ALGI, The green million city
Mars Home Planet 3D Modeling Challenge Powered by Nasa & HP
Location:
Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars
Year:
2018
AWARDS:
First prize in the category “Interior Design”
Best university project
Everyday we see the possibility of living on Mars more clearly. But in our haste to find a way to live on the red planet, we must take a step back and ponder how we can create a new society on Mars, having learned from our mistakes on Earth. On Mars we have the opportunity to learn, innovate and experiment with a desolate terrain and its obstacles. We can create a society which implements smart systems and ethical resources, a society comprising of happy and responsible communities, we can create a society which gives and recieves.
Our vision of the 1 million city on Mars is to create a utopian collaborative society, brimming with nature, whose advances not only affect the improvement of life on Mars, but can also transmit those advances back to Earth, creating a symbiotic interplanetary relationship.
Give & Take / Mars a testing ground
On Mars we have the opportunity to start a society from scratch, a society which can give and take, a place where the main goal is sustainable and intelligent solutions of which we can test on Mars and send back to Earth.
The Beginning
Sweet spot on Mars : Oudemans Crater
Oudemans Crater, located on the edge of Noctis Labyrinthus on the equator is a perfect spot where we can have higher and more stable temperatures. We are also protected by the crater from the tempestuous weather on Mars. The area of Noctis Labyrinthus is full of steep edged valleys, it sits upon one of the greatest reservoirs of water found on Mars to date.
.jpg)
Exploration, First Settlement & Drones
Drones programmed in swarms, will locate the most promising places for the development of all the activities humans will require. They are the true explorers of the terrain since 2023, the workforce and the maintenance and surveillance of the environment. Thanks to the trips that will take place between 2023 and 2040 the new settlers, alongside the drones, will start the first semblance of a society.
The Biological Membrane / Artificial Atmosphere
Keeping in mind the complications on Mars, we can assume that until terraforming, a process which can take hundreds of years, we will be living in an artificial atmosphere. We created a multifunctional protective membrane, containing water and microalgaes, that will protects us from the dangers of Mars atmosphere as well as serving other functions like our water cycle, oxygen cycle, agriculture, and alimentation.
In & Out
Water is extracted and then introduced into the membrane circuit after it has been filtered. When the water enters the membrane it separates into two conduits, mixing with the algae in one of them. Water protects us from radiation, while algae transforms that radiation into O2 and electrical energy.
The membrane also provides algae as food for citizens and bioluminescent light throughout the city. The ambient water vapor that is generated inside the city is absorbed by the membrane to be reintroduced back into the circuit.
Microalgae
We use the various properties of algae to perform many functions of the biological membrane. The algae is the most productive resource in the membrane, it serves as a nutritional spot as well as transforming CO2 into O2 while simultaneously absorbing the radiation and transforming it into electrical energy.
Farming
We will arrive as settlers, starting our civilization much like human beings did on Earth, by becoming farmers. On Mars we have to be much more conservative with our resources, and use systems in which every byproduct can be used. By using closed loop farming techniques like algae farms and organic waste transformation sites, we can create sustainable multifunctional systems.
We can decentralize our agricultural system, dispersing our resources throughout our city, creating a stronger connection between nature and Martians and preventing exploitation of resources. Returning to a healthy and non-exploitative scale of production.
Urban Life
What will our daily lives be like on Mars? What kind of citizens will we be? When we began this project we kept asking ourselves how Martians would differ from Earthlings and how Algi could incite us to be better citizens. Creating a role model for Earth.
Martian Physiology
Our bodies on Mars will have many challenges, due to 1/3 gravity we will have to exercise constantly to maintain bone and muscle mass. The limited amount of light will make Martians eyes increase in size. Our blood pressure change from a normal 80/100 to 100/100. It would be easy to have low energy levels, algae and honey supplies in addition with other proteins accompanied by exercise would help the Martian.
Team:
Manuel A. Monteserín Lahoz
Lucía de Ancos
Christina Schwertschlag
Eduardo Fernández
Aman Agrawal
Andrés Espinosa
Isabel Alvear
Charlotte Smulders
IED Innovation Lab