Das Kugelhaus was a ball-shaped house building in Dresden designed by the architect Peter Birkenholz in 1928. It was demolished by the Nazis in 1938.
This futuristic building inspired me for a lunar structure, Lunar Kugelhaus 2028. Inflatable structures had been proposed for the space. However, they are not very practical while even a tiny hole from a micro meteorite would deflate it and make it useless. On the other hand, a spherical two walled structure filled with lunar regolith would be an adequate solution. I got my inspiration from the sandbags used in tranches to stop bullets. The lunar regolith filled walls would protect the inner structure from micro meteorite showers. Contribute to the thermal insulation of the walls. It may even stop tiny air leaks. Only the inner wall needs to be airtight. The outer wall would just hold the regolith in place.
Lunar Kugelhaus would be send to the moon folded like an umbrella. Once landed safely, it would be unfolded to form a structurally strong spherical shape. This design increases the living volume compared to the cylindrical ones. Eliminating thick and heavy shields reduce the weight. The lunar regolith can be lifted to the top of the structure using a bucket elevator.
This foldable spherical structure can also be used on Earth. The inner void can be filled with the most abundant material available in the surrounding. In Antarctica with ice (like an Igloo), in Sahara with sand. Filling the void with such material makes the light weight structure stronger and stable against the snow and dust storms compared to traditional tents.
No comments :
Post a Comment