Presentation drawings
Composition of the project presentation drawings — JPC 1993
Architecture Diploma Project · École d'Architecture de Paris Conflans · UPA 4
Architecture beyond the Earth
This project drew in 1993 what NASA is building today — Mission Artemis
"Humanity will not remain on Earth forever, but in its pursuit of light and space will first timidly venture beyond the atmosphere, and then conquer the entire solar system." — Konstantin Tsiolkovski (1857–1935)
01 — Concept
Like Christopher Columbus approaching a new world, this project imagines the first milestones of a permanent human presence on the Moon.
More than fifty years ago, the Apollo missions demonstrated the feasibility of lunar travel. This project explores the next step: designing a durable, habitable and evolving architecture on the surface of the Moon, in response to the energy, scientific and human challenges of the 21st century.
The project integrates the radical constraints of the lunar environment — absence of atmosphere, radiation, extreme thermal variations — as founding data of the architectural project. The objective: to create a pleasant living environment, in harmony with a high-technology universe, while expressing the symbolic dimension of a new industrial era.
The Man/Robot complementarity structures the project. The robot performs specific tasks in hostile environments; man ensures reconfiguration, programming and decision-making. This synergy directly determines the spatial organisation of the base and the hierarchy of spaces.
Beyond the technical project, this lunar base is conceived as a lever for international cooperation, a catalyst for the terrestrial economy and the first link in an extended human presence in the Solar System.
02 — Scientific context
Before designing, one must understand. The physical and environmental characteristics of the Moon condition every architectural choice.
The absence of a lunar atmosphere implies a total absence of water, extreme thermal variations (+120°C / −160°C) and direct exposure to solar and cosmic radiation.
Solar and cosmic radiation constitute the major risk for human life on the Moon. Radiation protection becomes a structuring principle of lunar architecture.
Lunar regolith contains 30% metals, 20% silicon and 40% oxygen. These local resources are the key to the autonomy of any human colony.
Solar Power Satellites represent the opportunity to permanently capture solar energy and redistribute it on Earth, transforming the Moon into a global energy base.
From Sputnik (1957) to the MIR station, via Apollo and Skylab, a look back at the major milestones that made the idea of a permanent lunar base possible.
Lifestyle, weightless gardens, psychological balance, physical exercise: the design of the base must respond to human needs as much as technical ones.
03 — Programme
The colonisation process unfolds in three progressive phases, from the minimal base to the autonomous lunar city.
04 — The Project
Sited at the lunar south pole, in a large crater in the Leibnitz mountains — oriented towards the centre of our galaxy, symbolically open to the Universe.
Site
Large crater in the Leibnitz mountains — South pole, near side of the Moon. Reduced thermal range (Sun always on the horizon), facilitated access by polar orbit station passing every 2 hours.
The proximity of both sides of the Moon allows an observatory on each side: radio-astronomy on the far side, permanent observation of Earth on the near side.
Radio-astronomy without terrestrial interference. Unique ideal site in our solar system.
Passes above the base every 2 hours. Permanent Moon–Earth link.
The base is symbolically oriented towards the centre of our galaxy, open to the Universe.