Barbara Imhof
Barbara Imhof is an internationally active space architect and her projects deal with spaceflight parameters and thus include aspects of sustainability. The designs deal with living with limited resources, minimal and transformable spaces, resource-conserving systems and the spatial implications of related socio-psychological factors.
Barbara Imhof is the co-founder and CEO of LIQUIFER Systems Group, an interdisciplinary team consisting of natural scientists, engineers and designers. She is currently leading applied research projects in the field of bionics, spaceflight, robotics and architecture. In a trans-disciplinary team with Prof. Petra Gruber she is developing GrAB – Growing As Building, which deals with the translation of growth processes in nature into architecture. Imhof also directs the LIQUIFER team in the EU FP7 project SHEE Self-deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments, a prototype that is being developed for the moon and Mars, and also for terrestrial extremes such as disaster areas. Internationally renowned institutions and space agencies are partners and clients in her work.
Since 15 years Barbara Imhof has been teaching at various prestigious universities, such as the ETH Zurich, Chalmers University, Gothenburg, University of Applied Arts, Vienna and Vienna University of Technology (VUT). She received her education in architecture at the VUT, the Bartlett School, London, SCI-ARC, Los Angeles, and she graduated from the University of Applied Arts in the studio of Wolf Prix. Barbara Imhof has a Master of Science from the International Space University, Strasbourg, and received her doctorate from the Vienna University of Technology.
Barbara Imhof is the co-founder and CEO of LIQUIFER Systems Group, an interdisciplinary team consisting of natural scientists, engineers and designers. She is currently leading applied research projects in the field of bionics, spaceflight, robotics and architecture. In a trans-disciplinary team with Prof. Petra Gruber she is developing GrAB – Growing As Building, which deals with the translation of growth processes in nature into architecture. Imhof also directs the LIQUIFER team in the EU FP7 project SHEE Self-deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments, a prototype that is being developed for the moon and Mars, and also for terrestrial extremes such as disaster areas. Internationally renowned institutions and space agencies are partners and clients in her work.
Since 15 years Barbara Imhof has been teaching at various prestigious universities, such as the ETH Zurich, Chalmers University, Gothenburg, University of Applied Arts, Vienna and Vienna University of Technology (VUT). She received her education in architecture at the VUT, the Bartlett School, London, SCI-ARC, Los Angeles, and she graduated from the University of Applied Arts in the studio of Wolf Prix. Barbara Imhof has a Master of Science from the International Space University, Strasbourg, and received her doctorate from the Vienna University of Technology.
less
InterestsView All (6)
Uploads
Papers by Barbara Imhof
SHEE project was to develop a self-deployable habitat test-bed that will support a crew of two for a period of up to two weeks in duration. During this time the habitat will provide for all of the environmental, hygiene, dietary, logistical, professional, and psychological needs of
the crew. For habitat simulation purposes and for other research, SHEE can be moved to various terrestrial analogue sites by standard commercial, thus cost effective, transportation.
Testing of the habitat included subsystems performance, interior operations, and effectiveness of the SHEE habitat as a self-deployable and foldable autonomous system. This will be the focus of the paper. It will further be described how these tests can inform future
anticipated operations in the field and any other future exploitation opportunities. One example is the SHEE deployment as part of the Moonwalk FP7 campaign in Rio Tinto, Spain in April 2016. Rio Tinto is an internationally recognised Martian analogue site, mainly because of the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water. The project Moonwalk focuses on human-robot interactions and the team will conduct simulation
missions in two analogue sites as preparation of future exploration missions. It is currently planned that the SHEE habitat will be one of the elements to be tested as part of the Mars related simulation in Rio Tinto.
SHEE project was to develop a self-deployable habitat test-bed that will support a crew of two for a period of up to two weeks in duration. During this time the habitat will provide for all of the environmental, hygiene, dietary, logistical, professional, and psychological needs of
the crew. For habitat simulation purposes and for other research, SHEE can be moved to various terrestrial analogue sites by standard commercial, thus cost effective, transportation.
Testing of the habitat included subsystems performance, interior operations, and effectiveness of the SHEE habitat as a self-deployable and foldable autonomous system. This will be the focus of the paper. It will further be described how these tests can inform future
anticipated operations in the field and any other future exploitation opportunities. One example is the SHEE deployment as part of the Moonwalk FP7 campaign in Rio Tinto, Spain in April 2016. Rio Tinto is an internationally recognised Martian analogue site, mainly because of the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water. The project Moonwalk focuses on human-robot interactions and the team will conduct simulation
missions in two analogue sites as preparation of future exploration missions. It is currently planned that the SHEE habitat will be one of the elements to be tested as part of the Mars related simulation in Rio Tinto.