Monday, November 18, 2024
SAGA Space Architects, a Danish company founded six years ago, has been at the forefront of designing habitats for some of the world’s most extreme environments, including deserts, underwater, and arctic conditions. Co-founder and lead architect, Sebastian Aristotelis, and his team are now applying their expertise to a groundbreaking project for the European Space Agency (ESA): the construction of an analog lunar habitat for astronaut training in preparation for the crewed lunar mission, Artemis, scheduled for 2027. The habitat, known as FLEXHab, forms part of a 1000 m² facility simulating a lunar base to prepare astronauts for life on the Moon.
In the creation of this habitat, SAGA has chosen WISA-Birch plywood for the interior, a material renowned for its strength, sustainability, and low off-gassing properties. Aristotelis explains that the decision to use plywood reflects a shift in space architecture design.
A New Approach to Space Architecture
“Traditionally, space architecture is made of plastic, aluminium, steel, and nylon – and it’s white. We wanted to show that the space architecture of the future could be organic. We use wool, cork, felt, and plywood for structures and interiors, wherever possible,” said Aristotelis.
The 28m² FLEXHab habitat will house astronauts for extended periods, ranging from seven days to several weeks. As such, the materials used in the interior must be both safe and non-toxic, with minimal off-gassing. Aristotelis explains that off-gassing is a critical concern for space habitats, where toxic gases cannot be ventilated away.
“We had very specific material requirements. We needed the strongest, highest quality plywood with very high tolerance and high density, and we need as little off-gassing as possible from the surrounding materials in the habitat. You can’t get rid of toxic gases in space. We also needed a very healthy, organic glue inside the plywood. I looked around for different types and grades of plywood and I found WISA-Birch. The safety ratings for off-gassing were the highest in the world,” Aristotelis said.
Commitment to Healthy, Sustainable Materials
WISA-Birch plywood’s commitment to low emissions aligns perfectly with SAGA’s needs. The formaldehyde emissions from WISA plywood are well below both US and EU limits for wood-based materials, thanks to the use of WISA BioBond—a new-generation adhesive that replaces at least 50% of the fossil-based phenol with bio-based lignin, a natural adhesive found in trees.
The habitat features numerous elements made from WISA-Birch plywood, including tables, sleeping cabinets, cabinet interiors, and some walls. In total, SAGA has used close to two tonnes of plywood in the construction of the current habitat.
“It is funny that we are using this super nice, high-quality furniture plywood, and in some places, you can’t even see it. But we still use it because of the off-gassing and structural benefits,” Aristotelis noted.
Plywood: The Ideal Material for Space Architecture
SAGA’s search for versatile building materials has led them to explore various options, including glass fibre composites, foam-core sandwich panels, and metal sheets. However, plywood has consistently emerged as the most practical and reliable option for building interiors.
“We have learned that plywood seems to be the best universal panel material for building interiors. It is durable and consistently strong compared to other materials for similar purposes. You can do joinery and CNC machining with plywood, carve it, screw it, sand it, glue it together. We can do so much with plywood,” Aristotelis explained.
The natural aesthetic of WISA-Birch plywood also adds to its appeal for space architecture. Aristotelis appreciates the texture and grain of the wood, which can be showcased with the right finish.
“It is so nice with a little bit of texture, and if you paint it just right you can still see the wood grain. It’s a natural, organic material and it stores carbon in the material itself, so it is sustainable in that way too,” he concluded. “We have tried many different types and grades of plywood, and I think WISA-Birch plywood is a luxury plywood.”
Through their use of WISA-Birch plywood, SAGA Space Architects is pushing the boundaries of space architecture, demonstrating how natural, sustainable materials can play a crucial role in the design of habitats for the harshest environments on Earth and beyond.
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