SE Valley Times

Architecture students at Arizona State University (ASU) will soon have the opportunity to design habitats for space, as The Design School in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts introduces a new master’s degree in space architecture and extreme environments this fall.

The transdisciplinary program will integrate architecture, engineering, industrial design, interior design, psychology, and sociology. Elena Rocchi, clinical associate professor of architecture and co-director of master’s programs in The Design School, emphasized the significance of this emerging field. "I started to develop an interest in space architecture a few years ago because I realized it was an emerging field and a new economic frontier for architecture," said Rocchi. She is also part of ASU's Interplanetary Initiative, where she leads the Lessons from the Past Project.

Rocchi highlighted that ASU's program stands out due to its direct pathway to other colleges and schools within the university. "There are accredited master’s of space architecture programs but the difference with our program is that it has a direct pathway to all the other colleges and schools, which is something no other program has," she noted.

The curriculum includes courses such as Prototyping the Future, Human Factors Systems, and a final project. Students can choose electives based on their interests from various fields including engineering, business, psychology, sustainability, and courses offered by the School for the Future of Innovation in Society.

The faculty features prominent space architects Gui Trotti and Daniel Inocente. Trotti has contributed designs for both the International Space Station and South Pole Station while Inocente has worked with Blue Origin and the European Space Agency.

Kristy Kang, associate professor of urban media art and design in The Design School who teaches Prototyping the Future course explained how students are equipped to envision future scenarios. One class project involved designing future concepts for Phoenix focusing on transportation, energy sustainability, food systems, and habitats decades ahead. “We wanted to emphasize that the future is already here in some ways,” Kang stated.

Kang organized a visit to Biosphere 2 near Tucson—an experimental habitat built in the 1980s intended to support life in space—which now serves as a museum. "It’s somewhat of a failed experiment but I thought it was important for them to see the kind of initiatives and projects that have already happened on a large scale to envision the future," she said.

Additionally teaching augmented reality (AR), Kang facilitated student projects envisioning narratives about various futuristic scenarios including those involving teenagers at borders or disabled individuals. “AR is just one of the emerging technologies that is a little more accessible for students to get hands-on experience envisioning a prototype,” she added.