Building a Martian house in Bristol

A full-scale house designed for future life on Mars has received planning permission in Bristol.

The house is the outcome of an ongoing public art project, Building a Martian House, conceived and led by local artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent, who have brought together artists, scientists, architects, engineers and the public to explore how we live today and stimulate visions for new ways of living here on Earth and on Mars.

Hugh Broughton Architects, world experts in extreme architecture, has worked in partnership with Pearce+ and the artists to produce the concept design based on the public’s ideas. The house will be presented in partnership with M Shed and is funded by The Edward Marshall Trust.

Concept sketch for Building a Martian House. Pic: Hugh Broughton Architects and Pearce+

Once installed beside M Shed, Building a Martian House will be accompanied by a five-month public programme of workshops, events and research that will influence the interiors of the house, which begin as a shell. It will also coincide with Think Global: Act Bristol, an M Shed project that aims to foster positive action to address the climate and ecological crises.

Several companies are working as part of the design team, providing their services in-kind, including award-winning multidisciplinary engineering consultancies Hydrock and Buro Happold, and renowned innovators in inflatable design, Inflate. University of Bristol staff have also contributed their expertise and time to the project, including Professor Lucy Berthoud, Dr Bob Myhill and Dr James Norman.

The house comprises two levels with an external staircase and platform lift taking visitors to both levels. The upper level is designed to sit on the Martian landscape and is formed using a pressurised inflatable gold-coated foil, making it lightweight enough to be transported to Mars. Once there, the foil would be inflated and filled with Martian regolith (soil) to provide protection from galactic and solar radiation.

Artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent in astronaut suits at the Mars Desert Research Station, Utah. Pic: Satori Photos

The house has a glazed elevation, with views towards Bristol’s Princes Wharf standing in for the Martian landscape. Inside, a hydroponic living room is designed to surround occupants with plants to aid relaxation. This could feed into the circular waste water system; these systems, such as waste treatment, water recycling and energy production, are currently being developed with input from Hydrock.

The lower level of the house is designed to be built below the ground, and the prototype in Bristol will be surrounded by a scaffold hoarding, printed with information about the project and illustrations from local artist Andy Council, who documented the workshop process. Inside, the lower level is designed for flexible, private living spaces that can be used as bedrooms, virtual reality (VR) rooms, or opened into a dining room, along with WC, kitchenette and services to support the hydroponic grow room and provide air filtration.

The interior will be further developed with the public and filled once the exhibit opens, as part of a programme
of events, research and talks about re-thinking life on Earth through exploring the challenges of life on Mars.

Hugh Broughton, director, Hugh Broughton Architects, said: “Ella and Nicki have developed an alluring egalitarian concept for Building a Martian House. The envelope and life support systems are being designed by specialists in the fields of space exploration, extreme environments and sustainability with the interiors being designed by the public through an extensive engagement process.

“The outcomes will be varied, exciting and provide an alternative approach to space design which represents the interests of everyone, not just governments and the super-rich.”

Building a Martian House is due to open in April 2022 and run until the end of August 2022. For more info, visit www.ellaandnicki.com

Main photo: Visualisation of Building a Martian House installed in Museum Square outside M Shed by Hugh Broughton Architects and Pearce+

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