SPACEARCHITECT.ORG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- ECLSS Design Engineer, Blue Origin
Adam is a space habitat designer working to support a permanent human presence in space. His professional background in architecture and engineering has shaped his expertise with the architecture design process, positioning him to bridge the gap between the two and ensure design solutions are forward-looking yet practically grounded in known best practices. Currently he is an ECLSS engineer in Blue Origin's Space Destinations group within ADP where he works on air systems for Orbital Reef.
Prior to enrolling in CU Boulder's bioastronautics graduate program, he worked in architecture in Los Angeles with a focus on high-performance buildings, facade design, computational tools, and digital design workflows. He has contributed to hospitals, science labs, medical schools, and high-rise towers in the U.S. and internationally. His professional interests center on the high poles of permanent space settlement: artificial gravity habitats, closed-loop life support systems, moving design beyond an expeditionary mentality, enabling large numbers of people to sustainably live in space, and closing the economic case for large-scale space habitation.
Job Titles:
- Member of AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee ( SATC )
Alfredo Munoz is a global architect who has designed and managed more than six million square meters across five continents. He has been named one of the most influential Spanish architects and is the only architect among the Young European Leaders (EYL40).
Under Alfredo's leadership, ABIBOO Studio has designed projects in various scales, from large urban developments to small structures for extreme environments. The firm has operations in the US, Spain, and India and has served clients that range from Global Fortune 500 conglomerates to government institutions to private high-net-worth individuals. Before founding ABIBOO, Alfredo held senior roles at Toyo Ito (Pritzker Prize) and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (1,700+ awards).
Alfredo's work has been featured internationally in media outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Bloomberg, National Geographic, Wallpaper, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Architectural Digest, and Domus, among many others. Mr. Munoz is the patent holder for innovations in the fields of architecture and consumer goods. Alfredo headed the architectural team that designed Nuwa, a self-sufficient and sustainable city on Mars and developed with SONet, a multidisciplinary team of space professionals and academics.
Job Titles:
- Space & Extreme Environments Architect
Anne-Marlene is a recent graduate from the Swiss Polytechnic Federal Institute in Lausanne. She has majored in Architecture and Space technologies with the objective of becoming a space and extreme environments architect. She is always ready take up a challenge, especially when concerning complex environments and has worked on various projects, from the design and model of a six unit CubeSat, which is now part of the permanent exhibition in the Swiss embassy in China, to mission scenario and architecture of Mars missions with crew. She has also worked on transportation systems on Earth and in space, such as crane systems in Mars orbit.
Antonia is one of the younger members of the SATC. Currently in the second year of her bachelor's degree, she found her passion for Space Architecture and its applications on Earth. After a term at the Glasgow School of Art and participating in the NASA/DLR Design Challenge 2020, Antonia discovered her calling in-between the Creative and the Technical and is now pursuing a degree in Technical Design, a combination of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design.
Antonia works at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and is part of the CHILL-ICE (Construction of a Habitat Inside a Lunar-analogue Lavatube in ICEland) Analogue Astronaut Mission, which is researching space habitat designs and their usability in lunar-analogue environments.
With the combination of creative designing and analytical engineering she wants to help enable humans to survive and live on other planets. Most importantly Antonia wants humanity to learn from living with the environmental restrictions on extraterrestrial bodies in order to implement a more sustainable life here on Earth.
Job Titles:
- Principal, Managing Director, Project Manager and Design Architect at LIQUIFER Systems Group
Aastha, at 26 years old, is a visionary space architect, founder and driving force behind AAKA SPACE STUDIO, a ground-breaking enterprise specializing in designing and constructing experiential analogue and space tourism habitable modules. Hailing from Canada and India, she has etched her name in the annals of space exploration as the founder of the first-ever space architecture studio in these two nations. Aastha's journey into the cosmos began with an insatiable passion for space and architecture. Fueling her passion, she pursued advanced studies in space engineering and architecture, earning herself distinguished qualifications like B.SC in Architectural Technology from Leeds Beckett University, UK and VIA University, Denmark, Zero energy design, TU Delft. Aastha's expertise caught the attention of the prestigious Mars Society, where she serves as a distinguished space architect. Her contributions to the society have been instrumental in shaping the future of human colonization on Mars, with that she has published her paper on "Deployment of Surface Infrastructure, Systems, and Layout for Mars Settlement"
Her studio AAKA SPACE STUDIO successfully launched India's first space analogue expedition, a groundbreaking mission that simulated space conditions to test and refine their avant-garde designs. The company's NOAH project, a next-gen origami analog habitat, garnered widespread recognition and accolades, earning AAKA SPACE STUDIO the distinguished Eduwik Excellence Award. Her innovative spirit have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Global Icon Award for being India's youngest icon in Space Architecture. Her contributions have also been honored with the President Honour Award and the "Lunar Base Contract Award" from NASA Space Academy, she was also bestowed with the Aviation Champion Award and was listed among the Top Women in Aviation on LinkedIn. Her achievements earned her a nomination in Forbes' "30 under 30" list, and she was honored with the SheRise Award by CII, celebrating her inspirational journey as a woman trailblazer. Aastha has graced the stage of TED Talks on three occasions, passionately sharing her insights on Space Architecture and the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Space. Her talks have resonated with audiences worldwide, inspiring future generations to reach for the stars.
Job Titles:
- Chairman - Emeritus ( 2018 - 2020 ) of AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee ( SATC )
Born the same year as NASA, Brent Sherwood has 32 years of professional experience in the civil and commercial space industry. Since childhood he has aimed to build cities on the Moon. He received a B.A. in liberal arts from Yale, a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland as a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Fellow. At the Boeing Company for 17 years, he led teams in concept engineering for human planetary exploration, space station manufacturing engineering, Sea Launch program development, and commercial and space science business development. Then at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for 14 years, he consolidated JPL's mission formulation and proposal methods into the JPL Innovation Foundry, and was Program Manager for solar system science mission formulation. He is currently Vice President, Advanced Development Programs for Blue Origin. He has served on NASA's Human Exploration Framework Team and the board of the American Astronautical Society. He is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he has been Chair of the Space Architecture Technical Committee for the 5/2018 - 4/2020 term. He has published and presented over 50 papers on the exploration, development, and settlement of space; and co-edited the AIAA book Out of This World: The New Field of Space Architecture.
Job Titles:
- Architect, Space Architect, Professor of Architecture at Arizona State University
- Member of AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee ( SATC )
Daniel Inocente is an Architect, Space Architect, Professor of Architecture at Arizona State University and Founder of ATOM. His experience includes designing and developing projects across multiple sectors, including commercial, transportation, aviation, government, culture, science, education, and residential. He previously worked for Gehry Partners, HKS and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in New York. His most recent roles include working as a Senior Space Architect at Blue Origin and Professor of Architecture at Arizona State University. His unique skill set across disciplines enable him to bring together diverse teams and foster cross-sector collaboration. Projects he has worked on include the Zhuhai Tower, Guiyang World Trade Center, Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, Battersea Development in London and Tour Charenton in Paris. Daniel has also worked in the Aerospace industry, helping build and lead space sector partnerships with government, academia and commercial partners. As a Senior Space Architect at Blue Origin he focuses on Space Architecture including commercial space stations, habitation and human space vehicles. He integrates interdisciplinary and diverse ideas, leveraging his combined knowledge of architecture, technology and space architecture.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Operating Officer ( COO ) & Chief of Staff, Aurelia Institute
Dr. Albert R. Antosca is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Chief of Staff at Aurelia Institute. Before serving as one of the founding team members at Aurelia, Albert was at MIT where he served as the Program Manager for the MIT Space Exploration Initiative.
A former airline captain and flight instructor, his lifelong interest in aerospace began with pilot training at the age of 15, leading to experience flying aerobatics, gliders, and several thousand hours piloting the world's fastest civilian jet. Moving on from professional flying, he shifted to a career in academia working as a professor at multiple academic institutions. He holds a BS in Aeronautical Science, an MA in International Relations, and a PhD in Humanities (spec. Philosophy of Technology).
Job Titles:
- Researcher at Orbital Design, Laboratory Architect at HERA Lab Planners
Job Titles:
- Member of AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee ( SATC ) - Awards Subcommittee
After her graduation Esther founded the firm Spacethinking, completing a variety of designs across the fields of Architecture, Strategic Design and Branding. Following this, she has been living and working in Spain, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia and the UK in firms with acknowledged architectural prestige such as Arup, Herzog & de Meuron, SOM, KPF, AHMM and Ricardo Bofill having 25+ years of professional experience working as a creative and designer. Esther has worked on several urban developments and on a variety of projects types including residencial, commercial, transportation, sport, energy & science and mixed-use projects around the world. She is currently an active architect at the forefront of data center design and innovation.
Georgi Petrov is a practicing architect, structural engineer and space architect. He is a Senior Associate Principal in the structures group at the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where he works on highrises and long span structures around the world. He is an adjunct professor at NYU and MIT where he teaches Design of Tall Buildings.
Space related projects include design of surface inflatables for Synthesis International, masonry construction under space simulation at MDRS. He is the leader of SOM's space architecture endeavors including the Moon Village collaboration with ESA, which was exhibited at the 2021 Venice Biennale. He was the lead architect on the MarsHome project of the Mars Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Technologist
- Space Architect
Jeffrey Montes is a renowned Space architect and cross-disciplinary technologist. His groundbreaking work on habitat design has been awarded by NASA and private institutions and exhibited around the planet. At SpaceFactory, an architecture and technology firm working on additive construction technology, Jeffrey founded and leads Space architecture projects, including the iconic and critically acclaimed design and 1:3 prototype for a Mars habitat, Marsha, which won Phase 3 of the NASA 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. Jeffrey is the owner and principal of Jetportal Spaceformcraft, a design and research consultancy specializing in Space architecture. In addition to habitat design and construction, Jeffrey is engaged in architecture-adjacent challenges like ISRU, lunar urban planning, spaceports, and LEO commercialization-supporting design.
Previously, he has worked on robotic concepts for Honeybee Robotics, won Phase 1 of the 3D printed Habitat Challenge with the iconic design for an ice structure Mars Ice House, won the 2015 Caltech Space Challenge, and co-developed (with NASA Langley Research Center) a translucent, ice-shielded Mars habitat called Mars Ice Home. Jeffrey carries out deep design research, concept development, and detailed resolution through the full architectural stack including structures, construction systems, and interior spaces and environments that revolve around human occupants.
He holds a M,Arch from Columbia University and B.S. in Architecture and Philosophy from Northeastern University. He is also a fellow at Open Lunar Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Design Principal, John Curran Architects
With over 20 years international experience, John has designed and delivered a prolific body of work in China over the past decade, culminating in 700,000 sqm of new and regenerated mixed use communities completed or under construction, in cities including Shanghai, Fuzhou, the Zhoushan archipelago & Zhongshan city.
As Design Principal of John Curran Architects, he promotes Visions for ‘Neighbourhood Building', and has sat on Government expert panels as invited external advisor.
Previously John established the Alsop studio in Shanghai in 2004, and as a co-founder and director of Spark Architects, he was responsible for the design and delivery of the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, a 260,000 sqm Business & Entertainment District in the North Bund - recipient of Best Mixed Use Award under MIPIM 2011.
John has presented peer reviewed Aerospace papers on the topics of space urbanism and the cultural celebration of space. He has also taught at the architecture studio of the University of Hong Kong, Shanghai Study Centre.
Job Titles:
- ARCHITECT, New York USA, Japan
Background
Mr. Kennedy is a licensed Space Architect (Texas-1995) specializing in Space Architecture. He worked as a Space Architect for 30 years at NASA-Johnson Space Center. He is a recognized Space Architect and Deep Space Habitat expert at NASA and the international space agencies. Prior to designing space habitation systems at NASA, Mr. Kennedy worked with numerous architectural firms (NY, TX). Mr. Kennedy is founder and president of TECHNE‘ Architects, LLC (architecture / space architecture firm) and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Space Architecture at the University of Houston, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture.
Mr. Kennedy held key leadership and management positions while at NASA; key strategic roles in the Human Health and Performance Directorate, Deputy Project Manager Deep Space Habitat; and Manager Habitat Demonstration Unit. He worked on the Lunar Surface Systems Habitation Team; Lunar-Mars Architecture Team; ISS Hardware, and Technology Strategic Roadmaps. Mr. Kennedy has worked over 45 NASA design projects and published over 60 papers in the field of Space Habitat design. Mr. Kennedy has numerous Design Technology Brief awards and two NASA patents, one being "TransHab" (Inflatable Spacecraft) that won the 2017 Government Invention of the Year.
Job Titles:
- Professor, Universidade De Lisboa / Member of AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee ( SATC ) - Education Subcommittee