Beyond the Space Life
STATUS
Ongoing
DATE
2023 / 2025
PROJECT SCALE
IT
FUNDINGS
PE 11 3A - Italy Partenariato Made in Italy Circolare Sostenibile (MICS)
RESEARCH FACILITIES
Galletti spa / 3F-Filippi s.p.a / Phononics Vibes / Deepblue / Sabelt
DESCRIPTION
The Digital Living Lab for Human Life in Space is a collaborative project between the Advanced Design Unit of the Department of Architecture at Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna and Thales Alenia Space Italia. It examines the design implications of the evolution of human life in space, in light of new stakeholders, geopolitical shifts, and emerging needs. This leads to reflection on possible future sustainable scenarios focused on the well-being of the user, the crew, and the habitat. Rethinking the interior design of space stations represents a challenge that is as much engineering as it is human, in which new requirements related to the centrality of the person, relationships, and the organization of spaces are drivers of innovation. The main objective of this research is to build a Space Digital Living Lab model to support designers in studying a dynamic configuration of the space habitat, particularly during the conceptual phase, ensuring greater attention to personalization, the well-being of future astronauts, and the flexibility of spaces during future missions. Furthermore, the project aims to make this extreme environment more accessible and familiar to a wider range of designers.
IMPACTS & RESULTS
The project has generated positive impacts in economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and well-being spheres. From an industrial standpoint, the introduction of an advanced design approach and physical and digital tools in the early conceptualization phases has helped boost the competitiveness of companies like TASI in the pressurized habitat sector. At the same time, the project has fostered openness toward other Made in Italy companies interested in sharing their expertise, nurturing a collaborative ecosystem capable of generating more unconstrained, innovation-oriented creative thinking regarding systems, experiences, and product-services within a highly complex domain.
From an environmental perspective, the redefinition of the pipeline has reduced design and information exchange times, improving the efficiency of design iterations and the overall performance of the process. At the same time, the focus on crew well-being has brought the intangible dimensions of sustainability to the forefront, such as care, equity, the quality of the relationship with space, and psychophysical regeneration.
+ LINKS & DOWNLOAD
https://resource.mics.tech/project-detail/120
PUBBLICATIONS
Pasini, V., Beccari, C., Gianfrate,V., Grizzaffi, L., Montemurro,R., Rocci,L., Sicklinger,A., Sindoni,E., & Succini, L. (2025). Advanced design strategies for space habitats: Bridging human factors and digital tools for enhanced living environments. In F. Celaschi, L. Succini, & M. Zannoni (Eds.), Digital Advanced Design. Transitional Industrial Approaches for Sustainable Innovation (pp.89-120). Bologna University Press.
Rocci, L., Calleo, A., Zakoyan, N., Zannoni, M., Beccari, C., Sindoni, E. (2024). Digital Design for Crew Well-Being: Incorporanting Human Factors in Space Habitat Simulation. https://dx.doi.org/10.52202/078382-0043
Sicklinger, A., & Succini, L. (2024). Space Exploration: Community of Intercultural Identity Through Memory Sharing. In Design Across Borders - United in Creativity, Monterrey, Mexico, on October 16-18, 2024, Cumulus Conference Proceedings Series n.13, 1706-1719.
Succini, L. (2025). Life beyond Space: Responsible Advanced Design for new balances between space habitats and the human factor. In F. Celaschi, L. Succini, & M.Zannoni (Eds.), Digital Advanced Design. Transitional Industrial Approaches for Sustainable Innovation (pp.65-88). Bologna University Press.
Succini, L., Grizzaffi, L., Sindoni, E., & Pasini, V. (2024). Sustainable Life Beyond Earth. A design driven living lab to create new human experiences in the space habitat. Responsible Space for Sustainability. IAC 75th - International Astronautical Congress, Milan.
Succini, L., Celaschi, F., Ciravegna, E., Pasini, V. (2024). Responsible Advanced Design. Achieving Sustanability through Collaborative Processes. Theme de Disseny, 40.
Zakoyan, N., Grizzaffi, L., Sindoni, E., Cambertoni, R., Rocci, L., Succini, L., Sicklinger, A., Pasini, V., & Montemurro, R. (2024). Sustainable Life Beyond Earth. How to Enhance Habitat Comfort for Space Travelers. In Responsible Space for Sustainability, IAC 75th - International Astronautical Congress, Milan. https://doi.org/10.52202/078382-0055
Succini, L., Gianfrate, F., & Pasini, V. (in press). Living Lab for Human Life in Space. New education experiences. In Learn X Design 2025, Aveiro, Portogallo. Design Research Society.
Succini, L. & Montemurro, R. (in press). From Space crew to road vehicles: supporting designers in human factor-aware design to improve experience and safety. In Design for Road User Safety: Harnessing Distributed Intelligence for Human-Computer Interaction
Succini, L., & Pasini, V. (in press). Space Digital Living Lab. Il Responsible Advanced Design per attivare processi progettuali sostenibili negli habitat extraplanetari. In Design for Survival. Scenari, visioni e approcci del design per la sopravvivenza.
Succini, L., Pasini, V., Montemurro, R., & Sindoni, E. (2025). Designing in Microgravity: Digital Living Lab as an Enabler of Knowledge and Innovation through Extreme Design. diid, DIGITAL SPECIAL ISSUE 3.
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