MoonSane
Designing Lunar Habitats for Mental Wellness
S.S.N. Benfield (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
H. Bier – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Knowledge)
F. Adema – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
A.J. Hidding – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Knowledge)
I. Luque Martin – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Urban Design)
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Abstract
With the start of the Artemis project, the creation of a permanent Lunar base has been set as a goal, which has made it relevant to explore and consider all aspects of this new form of architecture, which will require a whole new set of criteria adapted to this unfamiliar Lunar landscape. Due to the dangerous conditions out on the surface, any long-term settlers will be mostly confined to the Moon base, with only their fellow crew members to interact with. This will have a great impact on their mental wellness. Research has identified nearly 70 stressors created by space travel, ranging from the real possibility of dying to boredom and from crew tension to isolation. Even looking out the window will not show the varying blue and green views we are used to, but a colourless, rocky landscape similar to a black and white photograph. Solace will need to be found within the habitat itself. MoonSane will investigate how human spatial perception can be used in the design of Lunar habitats, to mitigate the negative mental health effects of living long-term on the moon.
Through various studies, it has already been established that architectural spaces can influence human emotion and mental wellbeing. On the Moon, these psychological aspects of architecture will be even more important and must be utilised. Various spatial interventions, that have been proven to positively impact the mental health of inhabitants/users, are combined into a fully functional Lunar habitat. The interventions include dynamic lighting, spatial geometry and permeability as well as internal and external views. They will be implemented into a small scale Lunar base for a crew of 6 people. A meditation space is added to the general program of requirement, that utilises a phenomenon called the Overview Effect; viewing the Earth from space can have a positive emotional impact. All the architectural interventions are integrated with the safety requirements of a Lunar base, considering radiation, a life support system and adequate construction strategies, based on a stacked component system with in-situ resource utilisation principles.