What is Ameba and how is it used for topology optimization in Grasshopper?

Ameba is a Grasshopper plugin for topology optimization, a computational method that determines the most efficient distribution of material within a given design space by removing underutilized material while maintaining structural performance. In architectural and engineering applications, it is used to generate organically optimized structural forms that are both load-efficient and materially economical. In this studio, Ameba is used specifically to optimize radiation shielding configurations for Mars habitation structures using in-situ resources, designing protective envelopes that balance mass, coverage, and structural logic.

What does the Mars Architecture studio workshop at PAACADEMY cover across 7 weeks?

Week 1 introduces space architecture and holistic design thinking, with a Grasshopper tutorial on mission planning and architectural layout using Kangaroo, Weaverbird, and OpenNest. Week 2 covers inflatable structures in aerospace and form-finding with Kangaroo and Karamba3D. Week 3 focuses on radiation shielding strategies and form-finding with Ameba. Week 4 addresses adaptive interior configurations. Week 5 covers advanced topology optimization of radiation shielding using Martian in-situ resources. Week 6 features invited lectures by Dr. Ariel Ekblaw (MIT), Arch. Vittorio Netti (University of Houston), and Prof. Giuseppe Fallacara (Politecnico di Bari), with project reviews. Week 7 is the final presentation.

What prior experience do I need for the Mars Architecture studio?

Participants should have Rhinoceros 7 installed and working knowledge of Grasshopper before the studio begins. A 90-day trial version of Rhino is available from the Rhinoceros website, and Grasshopper is embedded in Rhino 6 and 7. The studio introduces specific plugins including Kangaroo, Karamba3D, Ameba, Weaverbird, OpenNest, and Pufferfish across the seven weeks, but prior familiarity with parametric workflows in Grasshopper is expected given the computational depth of the design challenges.

What will I produce through the Mars Architecture studio?

Working in cross-disciplinary teams, participants will develop a complete design proposal for resilient human habitation infrastructure on Mars, developed from urban layout and mission planning through architectural form-finding and interior configuration to optimized radiation shielding. The final outcome is a studio project presented in Week 7, covering computational design across scales using Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Karamba3D, and Ameba, grounded in space science and engineering principles taught and reviewed throughout the studio.

Full Access Workshop Mar 26 – Jun 11, 2022 6 + 1 Sessions (28 Hours) Beginner

Mars Architecture - Studio Valentina Sumini

Name: Mars Architecture - Studio Valentina Sumini
Price: 1000.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Mars Architecture is a computational design studio workshop on PAACADEMY led by Valentina Sumini, Space Architect and Research Affiliate at MIT Media Lab. Using Grasshopper 3D, Rhinoceros 3D, Karamba3D, Ameba, Kangaroo, and Weaverbird, participants work in cross-disciplinary teams to design resilient and sustainable infrastructure for human habitation on Mars, operating across urban, architectural, and interior design scales. The workshop integrates space sciences, engineering, ergonomics, psychology, and computational design as interconnected pillars.

Instructors

Team behind this course

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Valentina Sumini

Verified Account

2 courses5.0

Marta Rossi

Verified Account

1 course5.0

About Mars Architecture - Studio Valentina Sumini

Why Mars?

Is Mars the new frontier of humanity has been the question accompanied by debates. The insatiable quest for life is the main motivation of human beings to explore a promising future on this identical twin of the Earth. Currently, we are able to become inter-planetary civilizations, understand life’s origins, ubiquity and confronting myths, and contemplate alternate stories about the universe. Mars is a perfect target because of the same length of day as Earth, water ice on its surface, and aiding to industries such as medicine or agriculture.

The colonization of Mars in the future would push humanity to its limits, contributing greatly to the excellence of space tourism as a by-product; delivering the feeling of weightlessness, viewing the entire planet, and watching the stars from beyond the earth.

A quote from Sagan: “Whatever the reason you’re on Mars, I’m glad you’re there, and I wish I was with you.”

“If the human race is to continue for another million years, we will have to boldly go where no one has gone before,” Hawking said in 2008 at a lecture series for NASA’s 50th anniversary.

“I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact.” Elon Musk

“Only by pushing mankind to its limits, to the bottoms of the ocean and into space, will we make discoveries in science and technology that can be adapted to improve life on Earth.” >>> British doctor Alexander Kumar wrote that in a 2012 article for BBC News where he explored the pros and cons of sending humans to Mars

What you will learn

Computational Design Techniques: Utilize tools like Grasshopper 3D and Rhinoceros 3D for innovative architectural solutions.
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work in teams across diverse fields such as engineering, psychology, and art to tackle space architecture challenges.
Sustainable Infrastructure Development: Design resilient systems for human habitation on Mars, considering resource management.
Human-Centric Design Principles: Explore ergonomics and psychological aspects of living in extraterrestrial environments.
Application of Space Sciences: Understand the interplay between space sciences and architectural design to support human activities on Mars.

Methodology

The Mars Architecture studio workshop by PAACADEMY is devoted to exploring computational design capabilities applied to space architecture.

The workshop aims to design a resilient and sustainable infrastructure for human missions on Mars. This new design challenge requires a new holistic design approach in which computational design plays a key role. Indeed, Space Architecture relies on some fundamental pillars that are intrinsically interconnected: space sciences, engineering, industrial design, ergonomics, medicine, psychology, and art.

Students will be challenged to work in teams within a cross-disciplinary environment at different scales, from urban to architecture and interior design, relying on the knowledge and technologies developed for space applications. A challenge for both space and terrestrial architectures is to consider the relationships between human activities and the resources which support them.

The Mars Architecture Workshop will bring a new computational design approach to this design challenge in order to sustain human space exploration on Mars.

Knowledge Requirements

What you should already know or have ready before you start, experience, tools, and any baseline skills the instructors expect. Scan the list below so nothing catches you off guard.

Rhinoceros 7.0. The 90-day trial version you can download from the website.
Grasshopper 3D: For Rhino 6 and 7 is embeded, for Rhino 5 and below you need to download separately.

Course Content

21 Lessons

Important Notes

Week 1: Introduction to Space Architecture: a holistic design approach | Design Thinking Activity on Miro | Mission planning and Architectural layout tutorial in Grasshopper 3D (plugins Kangaroo, Weaverbird, OpenNest)
Week 2: Introduction to Inflatable Structure in Aerospace | Tutorial for Inflatable Structures and form-finding (plugins Kangaroo and Karamba 3D, Weaverbird)| Project reviews
Week 3: Introduction to Radiation Shielding strategies in Space Architecture | Form-finding of the Inflatable Structure and Radiation Shielding (plugins Kangaroo, Karamba 3D, Weaverbird, Ameba) | Project reviews
Week 4: Adaptive interiors configurations | Grasshopper 3D Tutorial | Project reviews
Week 5: Advanced topology optimization of Radiation Shielding using In Situ Resources on Mars| Form-finding and topology optimization (plugins Weaverbird, Ameba) | Project reviews
Week 6: Invited Talks by Dr. Ariel Ekblaw (MIT Media Lab – Space Exploration Initiative, USA), Arch. Vittorio Netti (University of Houston, USA) and Prof. Giuseppe Fallacara (Politecnico di Bari, Italy) | Project reviews
Week 7: Final Presentation

Software & tools

Instructors

2 Courses5.0

Valentina Sumini is a Space Architect and Research Affiliate at MIT Media Lab in Responsive Environments and Space Exploration Initiative and a Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches the course “Architecture for Human Space Exploration” at the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Construction Engineering. She develops design solutions and architectures to sustain human life in extreme Earth environments and enable space exploration in Low Earth Orbit, on the Moon, and Mars. Her passion for advancing human performance during deep space exploration missions dates back to 2009 when she designed a hotel on the lunar surface to democratize access to space to tourists. Over the years, she developed at MIT and MIT Media Lab more in-depth studies that she applied to different scenarios and award-winning competitions projects, mainly organized by international space agencies: a Space Hotel orbiting in Low Earth Orbit around Earth (NASA RASC-AL Competition 2017), a city on Mars and its generative design model (Mars City Design Competition 2017 ), a greenhouse on Mars (NASA Big Idea Challenge 2019), an ice extraction system for Mars (NASA RASC-AL Competition 2018), a Moon Village (European Space Agency), a soft robotic exoskeleton for enhancing astronaut movements and performance in microgravity and a pavilion, the Tidmarsh Living Observatory Portal (NASA TRISH), to reconnect astronauts with nature during long-duration missions. Valentina’s work has been featured, among others, in MIT News, Harvard Design Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, WIRED, Structure Magazine, IAC, IASS, CHI and AIAA proceedings, and TEDx Talks. She is Vice Chair of the ASCE Earth and Space Technical Committee (American Society of Civil Engineers), a Space Generation Advisory Council member, and a reviewer for the American Society of Civil Engineers of Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction. Tune into Computational Design: NEXT 3.0 to learn about the reach of computational design even in Space!

Marta Rossi

1 Course5.0

Mars Architecture - Studio Valentina Sumini FAQ

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