Sea Stars of STEM
In Sea Stars of STEM, Lloyd and his team of young Australian innovators will create ASTERIAS, the ultimate Underwater Superhero Headquarters for Tik and his fishy friend, Bubbles. And what better way to put their science to the test than for Tik to live underwater in the crazy creation when it’s finished?
That means building a home that can withstand the toughest conditions (hostile weather combined with the corrosive effects of the harsh ocean environment), that is self-sufficient in power and that recycles precious resources like water and oxygen. We might even challenge Tik to break Lloyd’s Guinness World Records™ for the most electricity generated by pedalling underwater (or perhaps to create a new one)!
Be sure to read / subscribe to the latest project news and find out who's supporting this exciting initiative!
That means building a home that can withstand the toughest conditions (hostile weather combined with the corrosive effects of the harsh ocean environment), that is self-sufficient in power and that recycles precious resources like water and oxygen. We might even challenge Tik to break Lloyd’s Guinness World Records™ for the most electricity generated by pedalling underwater (or perhaps to create a new one)!
Be sure to read / subscribe to the latest project news and find out who's supporting this exciting initiative!
ASTERIAS: Underwater Superhero Headquarters
One thing’s for sure; ASTERIAS (the Greek word for Sea Star) will look like it belongs on a sci-fi film set, not in a glossy home magazine. The finished creation will be a dwelling beyond our wildest dreams.
Biomimetic Design
Photo by Anne Romme and Ion Sorvin / N55
One thing’s for sure, ASTERIAS will look like it belongs on a sci-fi film set, not in a glossy home magazine. The finished creation will be a dwelling beyond our wildest dreams. The capsule will utilise a minimal material, low cost modular building system called SPACEPLATES. The SPACEPLATES building system is a result of an on-going research project into the use of "pure plate structures" by N55 in collaboration with Anne Romme and Anne Bagger. Unlike Buckminster Fuller's well-known and well-tested domes where the number of different parts is kept at a minimum, the SPACEPLATES building system takes advantage of contemporary technology to mimic more complex naturally occurring geometries. For example, Tik’s SPACEPLATES capsule will be based on the sea urchin geometry, where hexagons of increasing size form a spherical form.
Timeline and Location
Our aim is to start building ASTERIAS in late 2014. Once completed in 2015, it will be moved to its final launch site in Darling Harbour, Sydney, adjacent to the Australian National Maritime Museum. We’ll be posting updates to keep you informed of our progress.