Architecture knows no boundaries and, who knows, maybe soon it will be needed not only on Earth? In the Zbyszek Zawistowski Diploma of the Year competition at the Lodz stage, the second place went to the work "Base on Mars, which was designed by Julia Supeł, a graduate of {tag:University}, under the direction of Professor Rafał Lamorski.
For the location of the base project, Julia Supeł chose a region called Hellas Planitia, where a relatively thicker atmosphere and the presence of water ice deposits create conditions that allow human settlement.
visualization
proj.: Julia Supeł
unearthly solutions and space technologies
To create the building, the author planned to use Martian regolith, a layer of loose, weathered rock, modified by adding polymers and shaped with the help of 3D printing technology.
The structure is based on basalt rods already manufactured on site using autonomous construction robots. To provide additional protection for the building and its users from extreme conditions, temperature fluctuations and cosmic radiation, the author planned to locate part of the project below the ground surface and surround it with additional layers of compacted regolith.
land development project, projections
proj.: Julia Supeł
The water required for production was planned to be obtained by extracting ice from under the surface of Mars, using heated drills and a steam sublimation and condensation system. The purified water will be stored in hermetically sealed tanks and then recycled using carbon filters, distillation processes and osmotic membranes. The author has also rethought methods of oxygen production at the base - she has proposed multi-track solutions, both through electrolysis of atmospheric carbon dioxide (i.e., MOXIE technology) and electrolysis of ice water.
visualization
proj.: Julia Supeł
design for the man of the future
The functional layout of the designed included living, research, recreational and health spaces. As befits a space base, in addition to the basic functions known on Earth, it also provides access to rotating sections that generate artificial gravity. Such a place is intended to minimize the negative health effects caused by long-term residence in a state of microgravity.
The proposed base will be powered by energy from Kilopower nuclear reactors, supported by photovoltaic installations. The technical infrastructure, meanwhile, will include closed-loop water, air, wastewater treatment and waste recovery systems, as well as advanced heating systems using heat recovery and isotope generators.
plans, sections and detail
designer: Julia Supeł
The author based the proposed solutions on current scientific research, including from NASA. Her goal was to create a facility design that realistically meets the challenges of future exploration of the planet Mars.
The honorable mention was awarded for non-standard choice of subject matter, expressive form of presentation
- sounded the opinion of the competition jury.
The work took part in the national stage of the Zbyszek Zawistowski 2025 Diploma of the Year competition, organized by SARP.
visualization
design: Julia Supeł
This is not Julia Supeł's first project located in extremely difficult conditions. As part of her undergraduate thesis, she designed a Geological Education Center in Iceland. Julia Supeł told us about studying two majors at the same time and the experience of working in practice in the fourth episode of the "Foundations" podcast.
