TERA, the futuristic and sustainable home developed by AI SpaceFactory
Today, we come back on the TERA project, revealed back in May by AI SpaceFactory. If you didn’t know, TERA is a futuristic eco-habitat, showcasing a sustainable way of building on Earth. It was created with space driven technology developed for NASA and 3D printed from recycled materials that can be composted back into soil at the end of their lifecycle. AI SpaceFactory’s mission with TERA is to challenge the building industry’s massive waste of materials and to create a market for a new type of building.
As of March 2020, you will be able to experience what it’s like to live in TERA, it is located in the woods of upstate New York along the Hudson River and available on a nightly basis. The same design and production methods developed for sustainable life on Mars were used for the TERA architecture. It was built from a 3D printed biopolymer basalt composite, a material developed from crops like corn and sugar cane, tested and validated by NASA to be at least 50% stronger and more durable than concrete. It goes without saying that it is also more sustainable than concrete or steel.
TERA is now located in the woods of upstate New York along the Hudson River and available on a nightly basis from March 2020
TERA, a sustainable way of living
The concept for the eco-habitat didn’t emerge out of nowhere. During the NASA Centennial Challenge, the company AI SpaceFactory had created MARSHA, the 15ft-tall 3D printed Mars habitat prototype, 3D printed from recyclable biopolymer and basalt fiber, and for which it was awarded first place by NASA. Given the tremendous potential of the technology, it became clear that similar applications could emerge for Earth. David Malott, CEO and Chief Architect, AI SpaceFactory had said: “In awarding AI SpaceFactory first place, NASA encouraged us to find applications for our technology on Earth, even as we continue to pursue its use in Space.”
The MARSHA was recycled and reprinted into TERA | Credits: AI BuildFactory
Following this, MARSHA was destroyed by NASA and reprinted into TERA, demonstrating that it was possible to recycle the building to make a new one, a very important message to the construction industry. In terms of current construction methods, concrete represents the world’s second most consumed resource, after water. Unfortunately, only 20% of it is ever recycled and it generates nearly 5% of global carbon emissions. Considering population growth and urbanisation, it is very unlikely that construction companies will stop building, therefore, the problem will only accentuate.
Finally, you can read on AI SpaceFactory’s website: “Just like Marsha informed TERA, all the knowledge we gain from TERA will feed back into our extraterrestrial design and construction – ultimately enabling human life on Mars.” You can find more information HERE.
Image via AI SpaceFactory
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