Dubai is known for creating the unthinkable – it is planning to construct a prototype of a Mars colony in the desert so that people can have a feel of the Red Planet which might be populated 100 years from now.
Bjarke Ingels Group have been assigned the duty of creating this wonder. They are the famed architects behind the two World Trade Centers in Manhattan and the Hyperloop One.
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This group will design a city in the desert of the United Arab Emirates meant to simulate a Mars colony. The project, costing a whopping SGD140 million, is in development near Dubai and is slated to be a viable and realistic model to simulate living on the surface of Mars.
Christened Mars Science City, it will spread over an area of 1.9 million square feet. The plan calls for a team of astronauts to spend a year living in the simulated city after it's completed. However, there's no timeline for construction yet.
At a recent meeting of government officials, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE’s Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said, “The UAE seeks to establish international efforts to develop technologies that benefit humankind … and that establish the foundation of a better future for more generations to come.”
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The proposed city is part of UAE’s larger mission to create a viable community on the red planet within the next century.
In the Mars Science City, the ceiling would be made of materials that can block solar radiation (which is stronger on Mars than on Earth, due to its lack of protective atmosphere). The walls would be 3D-printed.
It will also include a giant greenhouse to test agricultural techniques, as well as laboratories designed to explore how to store food, generate energy, and get water.
Crops will be grown using an agricultural technique called vertical farming under a greenhouse. Instead of natural sunlight, crops would grow under LEDs on stacked trays in a climate-controlled environment.
A museum will also be constructed where visitors can learn about achievements in space exploration.
