A 3D-Printed Pod Home Designed For Mars Is Now Bookable Here on Earth

Architecture 5-9-2019 DWell 356

A tiny house designed to withstand the red planet's harsh climate is being built on the banks of the Hudson River—and Indiegogo backers get first dibs on rentals.

A laser scan of the grounds will eliminate the need to level the forest floor, and a 3D printer will be carefully placed to minimize harm to the ecosystem.

AI SpaceFactory recently won NASA’s competition to design a home for Mars—and now they're offering an opportunity to stay in the out-of-this-world dwelling. Called TERA, the eco retreat will be 3D printed out of the exact same biopolymer basalt composite used to create the competition-winning prototype (which collapsed only after rigorous testing).

The plant-based, NASA-tested material has three times the strength of concrete, and it can be recycled or resorbed back into the earth at the end of the structure's lifecycle. The install process will also tread lightly on the surrounding ecosystem—for example, a laser scan of the build site will eliminate the need to level the forest floor.

TERA will be made of a plant-based composite that is recyclable and biodegradable. The structure being built next to the Hudson River is a rehash of the MARSHA Mars prototype.
Image courtesy of AI SpaceFactory and Plomp

In designing for Mars, AI SpaceFactory has taken galactic steps for sustainable construction practices. "We realized the materials and technology we developed for long-term missions on Mars had the potential to be leaps and bounds more sustainable than conventional construction on Earth," says David Malott, AI SpaceFactory's CEO and chief architect.

The company points their finger at concrete because it's the most widely used substance after water, and it's egregiously wasteful. Ten billion tons are produced yearly, and only 20 percent is reusable.