Space is an Ecology for Living In

Abstract

Current space exploration can be viewed as an augmentation of the activities of the 20th century, albeit with a greater emphasis on new technologies and privatisation. With the continuation of this trend, could outer space be in danger of becoming a vast territory exposed to the voracity of would‐be prospectors, manned by robots? Rachel Armstrong , Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University and guest‐editor of the April 2000 AD Space Architecture issue, advocates a much more far‐reaching biological definition of Space, driven by a concern for the natural environment, that emphasises its potential as an ecology for living in.