Space Specials - [space] architecture

In mostly live interviews, discussions with national and international experts regarding new conceptual ideas for space and architecture were led. Many of the interview partners come from the work fields associated with architecture or seemingly different from architecture and therefore new unexpected, architectural “spaces of thoughts” develop through a trans-disciplinary discussion.

The extension of the operational field of the architect into outer space appears to be a logical consequence by the recent new upwind of space travel: the last successful missions to Mars and the start of the first commercial SPACESHIP ONE. In human space travel and outer space shelter building we are confronted with extremely technologized spaces. These technologized spaces of a space habitat relate to the new “medial extended space”, which is not only subject of the current theoretical architectural discussion but also tested as experimental set-ups in built and un-built architectural experiments.

2007 this radio broadcast was awarded with a special research fund by the Austrian Chancellery of Arts .KUNST

© LSG/Imhof, 17.7.2009 Moon Landing Celebration Interviews

2009

29.12.2009 - 17.30
Malaysia in space
Barbara Imhof interviews the Malay astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor about his endeavour to the International Space Station ISS

22.12.2009 - 17.30
AOUDA - THE AUSTRIAN SPACESUIT FOR MARS
Barbara Imhof interviews Gernot Grömer of the Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) about their spacesuit for Mars AOUDA currently under development and testing. more >

AOUDA - Mars suit © ÖWF

28.07.2009 - 17.30 - rerun
Apollo 11- Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing

21.07.2009 - 17.30
Apollo 11- Commemorationg the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing > further information
with the interviewees Friedel Winkler, architect Rataplan, Walter Pamminger, chemical engineer, typography and Kurt Zweifel, architect

16.06.2009 - 17.30
Space Psychology and Psychiatry - Part 1
Barbara Imhof interviews the space medical doctor Nick Kanas, who has been researching in the area of Human Beahviour in space since the last 30 years.

27.1.2009 - 17.30
Wien-Bratislave - a preface
Barbara Imhof interviews Ingrid Konrad about her upcoming RADIO ORANGE series

2008

12.10.2008 - 17.30
Interview with astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the European (French) astronaut Jean-François Clervoy about his missions.

17.9.2008 - 17.30
Pneumocell
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Thomas Herzig about his project Pneumocell.

19.8.2008 - 17.30
"Long duration stays on space stations"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the Russian cosmonaut Sergej Krikalyov about his experiences in zero-g.

He is record holder with 6 spaceflights and a total stay in space for 803 days. He has flown with Sojus on MIR and on the ISS and he has also flown with the space shuttle. He has excellent knowledge of the Russian and the American technical human space systems.

22.7.2008 - 17.30
"AustroMars Mission in Utah"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the System Engineer Norbert Frischauf about his endeavour in a two-week Mars simulation habitat in Utah, USA.

26.2.2008 - 17.30
"The Human Factor in Architecture and Design"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the Human Factors Engineer Berengere Houdou about the Human Factors Aspects in Space Design and Space Architecture.

26.2.2008 - 17.30
"The true three-dimensional space is in outer space, in zero-gravity"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER discusses with Susmita Mohanty - LIQUIFER about future endeavours in India and the practice of space designers and space architects.

2007

11.12.2007 - 17.30
"Interview with the Indian Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Rakesh Sharma about his one-week-stay on the Russian Salyut 7 space station; included are excerpts from Sunita Williams the American astronaut who came back from her 6-month-stay onboard the International Space Station ISS

... Squadron Leader Sharma and his backup, Wing Commander Ravish Malhotra , also prepared an elaborate series of zero-gravity Yoga exercises which the former had practised aboard the Salyut 7. ... (WIKIPEDIA)

... Suni Williams served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. She launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 2006, docking with the station on December 11, 2006. As a member of the Expedition-14 crew Suni Williams established a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes of EVA. She concluded her tour of duty as a member of the Expedition-15 crew returning to Earth with the STS-117 crew to land at Edwards Air Force Base on June 22, 2007. During her increment in space, Suni Williams broke the existing record by Shannon Lucid, setting a new record for females of 195 days in space. ... (NASA biographies)

13.11.2007 - 17.30
"MOBITAT - Transformers "
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the space architect Scott Howe about his projects, his methodology and file to factory building processes

28.08.2007 - 17.30
"YURI GAGARIN Cosmonaut Training Center " (GCTC)
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER with a radio SPACE SPECIALS from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Interiews with the tour guide and Dr. Mike Barratt (astronaut).

"GCTC is the Russian Federation head organisation on selection of candidates for cosmonauts and training of cosmonauts of all categories and specialities for flights on any manned spacecraft, development and updating of cosmonaut training system, cosmonaut training medical support and cosmonaut rehabilitation after space flights, construction and accommodation of technical equipment (technical facilities) for cosmonaut training." (http://www.gctc.ru/)

07.08.2007 - 17.30
"Inflatable Space Habitats "
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Marco Nebbiolo, space engineer working with Thales Alenia Space in Torino. Marco Nebbiolo is one of the few leading engineers for the construction of the European inflatable habitat; for more information, please see >

An example of hypothesis of manned Inflatable Space Module, is given by the NASA TransHab program in which Alenia Spazio was involved from 1998 to 2000 as part of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) team.
This was an Inflatable Module with a central structural core which was foreseen as a habitation module to be attached to the ISS Node3 and also to act in a very next future as TRANSFER VEHICLE for a Mars exploration mission.
Alenia Spazio is currently involved as Prime Contractor in the ESA study “Inflatable Habitat” that is strongly focused on the “habitat” aspects and on the boarded life support systems without however overlooking the inflatable technology issues.
During the Inflatable Habitat study several concepts for the inflatable modules are being investigated in relation with different mission scenarios and with different degree of packaging not only for the inflatable part but also for the structural core.

08.05.2007 - 17.30
"Heimat Weltall; wohin soll die Raumfahrt führen?"
"[Outer] space - our home; where shall the travel go to?"
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Hans-Arthur Marsiske about his book and the issues discussed there.

Regarding space exploration and space travel humankind is standing at the same point as ever since more than 30 years. Apollo and the moonlandings were part of a large political space race and are regarded as scientific achievement. Everything else since then is rated as "earthly matter". Space travel seems to be an imperative argument for a better life on Earth; this is the justification. But in outer space we can also find other spaces and worlds which are more inspiring than only purley economic...

2006

21.11.2006 - 17.30
Changing Strategies- [new territories::anything but ordinary]
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Marlene Rutzendorfer and Franz Stibli about their initiated symposium "CHANGING STRATEGIES"
I. Water,virtual and outer space: is that all the visionaries of our century are able to offer us as “new living areas”? Even though the former might be the keywords of out symposium, this shouldn´t be it. We want SOME NEW STUFF, and we want it NOW !
II. Does this new stuff have to be a cowardly escapism from reality and all the problems we have to face, considering, for instance, the challenge of making uninhabited territory worth settling?
III. Where have all the visionaries gone? Is our upcoming architectural squad too timid, too lazy, or simply too materialistic to dedicate their precious time to a new utopia? >more

31.10.2006 - 17.30
The other kind - towards a new architectural species; a new operational field in architecture
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Marcos Novak about "Transarchitectures". He is universally recognized as the pioneer of architecture in cyberspace, of the critical consideration of virtual space as architectural and urban place, and of the use of generative computational composition in architecture and design. He originated several widely recognized concepts, such as "transvergence," "transarchitectures," "transmodernity," "liquid architectures," "navigable music," habitable cinema," "archimusic," "eversion," "allogenesis," and others, anticipating many of the developments in digitally derived art, architecture, and music, and in virtual, augmented, mixed, and alternative reality research. His current research involves nano~ and bio~ technologies, and explores the hypothesis that we are in a cultural phase characterized by "the Production of the Alien," paralleling the Renaissance "Production of Man." (from Symposium in Arts and Technology, Utah)

29.08.2006 - 17.30 HOW GEOMETRY CHANGES OUR PERCEPTION
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Bernhard Sommer about gemetry, space, architecture and the other view

15.08.2006 - 17.30 COULD WE PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GOING TO tHE MOON OR MARS?
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Brent Sherwood, space architect and systems engineer, NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory

18.07.2006 - 17.30 SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews the Danish Jesper Jorgenson, psychologist and psychotherapist about the influence of architecture in long duration human space missions

23.05.2006 - 17.30 DEPLOYABLE STRUCTURE FOR A LUNAR BASE
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Petra Gruber, Sandra Häuplik, Kürsad Özdemir, René Waclavicek - Institut für Hochbau 2, TU-Wien - about the research project contracted by ALCATEL ALENIA SPACE, Torino, ItalienIn late 2005 Alcatel Alenia Spazio awarded a contract to the Institute for Architecture and Design – HB 2 at the University of Technology Vienna to explore the possibilities for deployable structures derived from bionic concepts within the Lunar Exploration Architecture study. The purpose of this project was to investigate bionic concepts applicable to deployable structures and to interpret the findings for possible implementation concepts for a human lunar base. Where human experience is limited, role models out of nature can deliver solutions exceeding the imagination of technicians and engineers. For the successful transfer of natural principles into technical application some difficulties have to be overcome. One reason for failing of the interpretation of nature´s concepts in terrestrial applications is the scaling problem. As most bionic role models are smaller than technical (architectural) interpretations, the deadweight is limiting the resizing. Therefore a partial gravity environment as the Moon is advantageous for the application of those concepts. In this study, we concentrated our efforts onto “folding/unfolding” techniques. The Department of Design and Building Construction has been active in the research of biomimetics and space design for the past six years, developing interdisciplinary design programs. This expertise and the collection of candidate bionic role models served as a base for the study.

25.04.2006 - 17.30 NEW DIRECTIONS IN SPACE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Susmita Mohanty, designer and space entrepeneur, San Francisco USA / Bangalore INDIA

2005

16.08.2005 - 17.30 Bionic approaches for [space]architecture
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Petra Gruber , Institute for Building Construction, University of Technology, Vienna about our current research project TRANSFORMATION: concepts from nature are investigated and interpreted and developed into a new kind of design for [space]architecture.

9.08.2005 - 17.30 VERS PLUS DE BIEN-ETRE
Barbara Imhof - LIQUIFER interviews Jorn Bihain , architect @ bureau Vers plus de bien-être, Brussels, Belgium
About V+: Our basic ideas / foundations, philosophy and hope are included in this name.
We believe that architecture is not a question of square meters or provision of services.
It is first of all a political engagement, a cultural act, a poem of a centimetre, a social claim, a philosophical astonishment, a desire for space, a source of dreams, and especially with more life, more passion, more attitude, more joy, more smile, more questions, more intensity, more statement, more phantasm, more euphoria, more effervescence, more movements, more resistance, more instinct, more aspiration, more character, more will, more demands, more eagerness, more spirit, more burst, more freshness, more brightness, more vivaciousness, more conviction, more pride, more generosity, more love, more energy, more temerity, more audacity, more delight, more play, more craze, more challenge, more temptation, more fascination and more breath.
Our architecture is not defined in term of kind, style or method but in degree of engagement.
One always makes architecture for the world, never for his small personal story, an architecture that tickles the truth, the beauty, the accuracy and everything that is supposed so, an architecture with pride, because everything that is claimed as true, beautiful or accurate is never or not enough or too much as it is, and from one’s personal story, one dares to claim for vaster horizons. Architecture towards more well-being.

17.05.2005 17.30 Operations of a space architect
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews the architect Andreas Vogler, Munich - Zurich, about the profession of a space architect and his expanded working area.

15.03.2005 17.30 Space production, - perception and - inhabitation in the micro- and macro cosmos
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews Claudia Bosse, theater director and choreographer, Theatercombinat Vienna.

2004

21.09.2004 17.30 SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS IN LONG DURATION HUMAN SPACE MISSIONS
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews (space)sociologist Marilyn Dudley-Rowley. The interview was taken at the International Conference of Environmental Systems (19.7.-23.7.2004), Colorado Springs, USA

23.08.2004 17.30 SPACE - TECH : FUTURE - SYSTEMS
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews (space)architect David Nixon, co-Founder of FUTURE SYSTEMS, GB about his aproach to architecture for terrestial and space applications. The interview was taken at the International Conference of Environmental Systems (19.7.-23.7.2004), Colorado Springs, USA

15.06.2004 17.30 SPACE INSTRUMENT TABLE
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews architect Thomas Sturm about his prototype which is scheduled to arrive on ISS 2004

25.05.2004 17.30 TRANSCRIPTS OF AN ARCHITECTURAL JOURNEY
Musings towards a new genre in space architecture
Barbara Imhof and Sandra Häuplik discussing new conceptual developments
and strategies for architecture when architecture buildt on Earth is merged with
architecture buildt in space

2003

02.12.2003 17.30 Kein Ort nirgends.* Christa Wolf ("No space nowhere")
BARBARA IMHOF - LIQUIFER interviews the writer Marion Steinfellner
Between the literary symbolic and the actual space

18.11. Art in public space
A conversation with Marie Therese Harnouncourt

07.10. The conception of space in contemporary dance
A conversation with Helmut Plöbst

09.09. Architecture, Technology and Innovation
TRANSHAB
Interview with Constance Adams, Space Architect

26.08. Architecture, Technology and Innovation
In the Simulator
Interview with Fred Smith, Simulation Astronaut

15.04. Architecture, Technology and Innovation
Innovation in Space architecture
Guest: Hans Schartner, Architect

18.03. Architecture, Technology and Innovation
Architecture as third skin – technological space as dynamic interface in a modelled environment
Barbara Imhof, Sandrine von Klot

18.02. Innovation in Architecture
Blending of real and virtual space on public terrain
Barbara Imhof, Sandrine von Klot

21.01. Innovation in Architecture
Blending of real and virtual space on terrestrial and extraterrestrial terrain
Barbara Imhof, Sandrine von Klot

2002

03.12. Innovation in Architecture
ESCAPE*spHERE about Innovation in Architecture
Live link with the Southern Californian Institute of Architecture

05.11. Innovation in Architecture
Report on the World Space Congress, Houston, Tx

01.10. Innovation in Architecture
Tracing – Looking for Innovation
Guest: Hannes Stiefel, Architect

10.09. Innovation in Architecture
Trespassing – Contours of spatial actions