The desolate and arid conditions of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota were once lush lands and open oceans. These extreme conditions share characteristics with Mars, which makes for an ideal site for testing the architectural expression for future conditions. These are met through an investigation of construction technology, material usage, simulation, development, and typology of mars.

 

This project proposes a two-phase simulation in the Badlands. The first phase includes initial training in the hub center where a Mission Control, a practicing garden, and various testing spaces for the researchers to evaluate the astronauts. Phase two consists of a full simulation deep within the isolated location of the badlands where astronauts will practice colonization of Mars on Earth. This unique training center allows future astronauts to simulate multiple different harsh conditions in order to prepare them for the unknown future.