Hi guys!
I love my workplace so much! With a cleaned room, some tea, chocolate and a lot of plants, I’ve never felt so relaxed. Gosh ♥. Today, I’ll try to talk about my master’s thesis (yup, once again) about space exploration and therapeutic architecture. Since I’ve met my professors for the feedbacks, a lot of things changed from last time. The flowchart is in French, sorry for that, but don’t worry I’ll explain everything in details in English. My thesis is for less than two months so I won’t be able to finish the project in time if I only focus on the theory. I’ve made an ugly draft for FMars last time but it is really not what I expected from a real work. So, for the next time, it will be a lot of (not ugly) drawings and creative stuff, be prepared!
Flowchart of the methodology
The logic behind the Algo-rhythm
The flowchart is a schematic to explain the logical process of a methodology. Since the logic behind the flowchart looks the same as the architectural or source codes ones, it is possible to explain it with these two ways and translating the notions in different scientific field. Above, you can see the algo-rhythm of the flowchart (yeah, bad pun between rhythm and algorithm since I am talking about chronobiology and human biorhythm. I’m not feeling sorry) separated in 7 steps. I was inspired by the Unified Modeling Language for this flowchart.
-Caption:
Blue: Working process
Purple: Results
Red: Conditional function
Rectangular shape with curved angles: Terminal (start and end of the code).
Rectangular shape: Processing functions.
Parallelogram: Input/Output functions.
Square on his corner: Conditional loops (if… else.)
– You can read the flowchart from top to bottom with 7 steps:
1) Gathering data and building four databases (fictive books, human analog missions, chronobiology and therapeutic architecture).
2) Filtering the pieces of information and use only what we need to make a new design.
Keywords: architecture, design, health, chronobiology, therapy, simulation, mission, Mars, preventive.
3) Synthesis and analytical tables.
4) Upgrading the existing models.
5) Design concept.
6) Experiment on the design concept.
7) Pentesting the model.
– Explanations:
- Step 1: Get enough information from the simulations and missions related to the Mars Analog Research Station projects and the Human Analog Habitat projects. At the same time, with the notion of “zeitgeber” or circadian clock quoted in the book “Space psychology and psychiatry” [Kanas and Manzey, 2004], it is possible to link these missions to chronobiology. Moreover, this science is closely related to the therapeutic architecture [Timothy Onosahwo Iyendo, Patrick Chukwuemeke Uwajeh, Ezennia Stephen Ikenna, 2016] because the human circadian clock is itself influenced by the natural daylight [Hraska, 2014]. Meanwhile, Robinson and Kim Stanley’s Martian trilogy and Hugh Howey’s Silo trilogy will provide a mental projection of a life on Mars as a possible simulation (see step 6). The recovery of this data is part of a process to obtain enough material for the next steps.
- Step 2: On an empirical-inductive process, these databases will be used to collect the architectural design and will be presented in the form of a summary table allowing the extraction of architectural elements and different parametric factors within the simulation (see step 4). The filtering tables will be different for every database.
- Step 3: Once the selection criteria have been established by the filtering table, it is possible to analyze the issues that emerge from the Mars simulation missions. In this part of the synthesis, I will list these problematic criteria and to describe them. Meanwhile, chronobiology and therapeutic architecture will provide the improvement elements to the interior spaces and can be reused later in the next stage, possibly allowing prevention against the design of anxiogenic elements.
- Step 4: At this stage, too many criteria will have to be given to obtain a “perfect” model of mission that could answer all the issues.
Anxiety Sources: These data constants retrieved in Step 2 include outward views, luminosity, ergonomics, perception of space, temperature, etc. For this reason, only one criterion will be chosen and it will be mainly brightness as well as the impact of this natural light on psychology through the circadian rhythm.
Preventive solutions: Chronobiology and therapeutic architecture will be injected to improve the architecture of missions on Mars. Scientific studies on the subject already exist under the name of light therapy or photobiology and are currently being researched by NASA to help astronauts. - Step 5: A first model will be generated based on the established criterion. The architectural design will focus solely on a single architectural constant without neglecting other criteria to improve the perception and livability of confined spaces.
- Step 6: The model will be used to experiment with an empathic simulation of the project with the help of fiction books, to obtain a human response to an environment where no human has yet gone. This experiment will be carried out in the form of artistic expression and architectural project.
- Step 7: This step can create a conditional loop from the question: “Can any human will be able to live in this experimental model with the criterion of luminosity regulation?” If not: the empathic simulation does not allow the reliability of the criterion because of a lack of compatibility with the other criteria. The spatial environment is not habitable and it is better to return to step 3 until a favorable response to a proposal for a new generic architectural model is obtained. If yes: (see next step)
- Final result: The result is a proposal for a generic model that can be used in confined space simulation projects on Earth and possibly in future Mars missions. Future researches and projects can be based on these criteria of habitability for the development of architectural spaces.
Translation to source code (a really bad draft)
What did I learn?
- How to draw a programming flowchart
- The logic behind a flowchart
- Translating an architectural process to flowchart and code writing
- Learning .csv functions (writing and reading)
- What is an UML
Gosh, this article was so hardcore to write.
See ya guys and thank you for the reading!
References