In-Between - Transition into the Outer Space

Abstract

The development and commercialization of spaceflights have now opened up a new era of tourism and transportation. This thesis is about designing a spaceport for the future space tourists and to put forth the foundations of a new building program as well as an emerging field of study, tourism and exploration for the general population. A spaceport is a type of transit architecture like an airport but instead of airplanes taking people from one country to another, it consists of spaceships taking people from the earth to the outer space. The spaceport would serve the purpose of a portal to the outer space as well as the purpose of housing the families of the well to do class of people into the outer space tourists for a period of time as well as the visitors coming to visit this facility. So it will contain programs and spaces suitable for these three types of stakeholders; namely the space tourists, families and guests, and the visitors (researchers and tourists not going into Space). The programs include the hangar and machine rooms, visitors' area including restaurant and recreation zone, living units, tourist training area, observatory, research zone, medical zone and administration. The tourists training area basically serves the purpose of training the tourists who will be going in the outer space, so that they are able enough to survive in the conditions of the journey to the outer space. The concept is to create a space that serves as a transition between the realm of the earth and the outer space itself.This transition would be shown in the physical form of the building as well as the experience and interaction of the users with the space. This transition will help in creating a design which would merge the architectural elements of earth with the special qualities of living in the Outer Space. The users are mainly of two types; those who will be going in the outer space and those who will just be visiting the building. So the experience in both cases would be looked at. For example for the space-tourists, the experience would be grounded (the users will feel like the space is pushed inside the ground)so that the space visit contrasts it while for the visitors, the experience would be such that they would feel themselves being closer to the sky. The programs would be arranged according to the pattern of usage formed. The other layer to be added to the building is through the form or outlook of the building or the aesthetic and visual aspect which has to symbolize the outer space to make it have a bigger impact on a higher scale since this project will have an impact on a global level. The form will be the outcome of the characteristics of the outer space environment and would symbolically represent it.