Architecture studio ABIBOO has unveiled ambitious plans to build the first ‘Martian sustainable city’. Now it is only a matter of time before humans live on the red planet.
The overall design contains five cities to be constructed at Tempe Mensa on Mars. Nüwa, the capital city, will be built vertically into the side of a cliff to protect inhabitants from radiation and diminish atmospheric pressure.
The vertical city will include green spaces, offices, and homes. The city’s primary food source would come from the crops’ cultivation, which would provide about 90% of people’s diets. Microalgae, in particular, would be a vital supplement. Oxygen would also come from plants, and energy is harvested from solar panels.
The population of Nüwa would be 250,000; its name comes from ‘the mythological Chinese mother goddess that is the protector of Humans, who melted five stones to give robust societal pillars.’ She is also credited with creating humans and repairing Heaven’s Pillar.
Life On The Red Planet
How do we get to Mars? A shuttle service will take passengers between the planets. Every 26 months, there are a couple of weeks when the red planet is the closest to Earth, so the trip would take anywhere from three to six months.
However, the conditions on Mars are not ideal. The radiation is deadly on the surface without shelter, and the atmospheric pressure isn’t suitable for humans.
Alfredo Muñoz, the founder of ABIBOO, explained:
We had to do a lot of analysis based on computing and work with the scientists to try to understand what are the circumstances that we will face. We have to face challenges that are very specific to the conditions of Mars; one of them is gravity, which is only one-third of the gravity on Earth.
ABIBOO plans to use exclusively Martian materials for the construction, making it sustainable. “Water is one of the great advantages that Mars offers; it helps to be able to get the proper materials for the construction. Basically, with the water and the CO2, we can generate carbon, and with the carbon, we can generate steel,” Muñoz added.
Most construction activity will be located inside the cliff, with ‘Macro-buildings’ dug inside the cliff’s rock. There will be ‘Green-Domes,’ which will act as a place to grow vegetation or parks for the residents. People will be able to participate in much of the same activities as they do on Earth, such as camping, sports, arts, and crafts.
ABIBOO made the designs based on the latest scientific research from The Mars Society and the SONet network, an international team of academics and scientists.
Muñoz points out:
The learnings that we are getting by developing a fully sustainable city on Mars bring us so much know-how and ideas and insights about things that we could do differently on earth.
When Can We ‘Move In’?
According to ABIBOO, the construction isn’t expected to begin until 2054, and it could be built by 2100 – when the first residents could start living there.
Muñoz explained:
We think it is doable from the technical aspects. What takes time is more about ensuring that there is enough will and associations in the international community. This has to be something that comes from a private sector, public sector, different locations, different cultures, in order to ensure that there is diversity.
For people who want to move to Mars, a one-way ticket will cost around $300,000. There is no information yet on home prices, but it will probably be expensive too.
