The goal of this thesis is to propose a design for an orbital space station that incubates the future space civilization and is the base for space regulations and governance. A place that is democratizing access to space and resources, and allows for any interested individual to join and contribute to the world at large and their personal wellbeing. The goal is to design a place where a closely knitted community of makers, scientists, and artists is cultivated. They will be the decision-makers and the actors in space exploration.
To learn how to do that, initially, the thesis embarks on the research of some community aspects on Earth and the way public space contributes to their cultivation in our cities. Specifically, the focus of the study is to observe and analyze the function that Het Park in Rotterdam serves to people. It is a look into the congenital and human side of living in an industrialized world and the values this brings to the community. In space, that natural side will inevitably be different or non-existing and to maintain the values that nature and the park bring to our lives we need to develop a translated alternative. The goal is to add a playful and authentic element to a potentially very machine and virtual future in space.
After an introduction to the direction in which we have been heading since the industrial revolution, the research examines 4 major values taken from the park- social value, health, freedom, and engagement, to understand the importance of addressing the natural and human qualities. Those values are analyzed through park visits and sketches of people utilizing their environment and adapting it with simple means. Conclusively, the research highlights the importance of the presence of the public park in people’s lives even if we forget it or do not notice it on a daily basis and it shows how such a place can strengthen the community and make people more caring and more respectful (Cohen, et. all 2006). It identifies which are the key elements that play a role in the value that the park brings to the citizens. Thus they can be taken and appropriated to the space environment and the space station design. This research is a continuation of a previous essay by the author - “Cohousing in ‘Space’ and Time”.