Volume Zero Competition is back with its 2nd edition of the Marsception Architecture Competition. Calling for all architecture design students, young professionals, innovators, seasoned professionals, and others to be a part of the 23rd edition of our architecture competitions. This competition presents the opportunity to create a utopian tomorrow, making mankind a multi-planetary species.

The last few centuries have seen Mother Earth grappling with mounting pressure towards her resources due to mankind’s quest for a better life. This persistent pressure has now compounded into unpredictable and irrevocable changes to our climatic conditions and atmosphere. To relieve this mounting weight, we have been taking huge strides in our efforts to find resources on other planets like Mars for a clean and sustainable future. With the latest edition of the architecture design competition, we aim to celebrate individuality, redefine sustainability, and exalt simple, resourceful living.  Be a part of this movement; join a new wave of habitat designers!

Humans have been captivated by the mystical nature of other celestial bodies surrounding our Planet Earth. This fascination has been translated to works of astronomy, astrology, architecture, and many other studies from making a simple telescope to humankind’s first steps on the Moon. This unending drive for exploration has today led us to understand our neighboring solar systems and galaxies, thousands of light years away.

The previous decade has witnessed MARS as the center of attention for becoming a potential new habitat for the earth’s future population, resulting in a Martian race. With many visionary organizations and their ground-breaking explorative studies and research, the unseen future of inhabiting the Red Planet is now a real possibility.

“Mars is THERE, waiting to be reached.”

– Buzz Aldrin {(Former Astronaut) Him and mission commander Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to land on the Moon}

Challenge

We invite architects, designers, students, teachers, engineers, artists, visionaries, and everyone who believe in this unseen future and a possibility of utopian future. The participants are to create a self-sustaining living space for the initial habitants, a group of five researchers, of the Red Planet. 

These researchers are to further study and explore Mars to understand its resources for inhabitation and other human necessities. The 5 researchers have been carefully selected to understand various parameters to validate the idea for the existence of life on Mars. 

The participants are to design functional, sustainable spaces that cater to the needs of these five researchers.

The spaces for the program include:

Living Area 

Sleeping Area for five 

Cooking Area

Research Area

Interaction Spaces

Areas for Sanitation and Bath

Recreation Area

Controlled Areas for Farming

Any other spaces that the participant wishes to specify.

The participants are to select a location anywhere on the topography of Mars. With interplanetary travel for humans, not a far-fetched idea and innovations made every day to make it a reality soon. It is now time to imagine and create a new civilization.

A civilization the world has dreamt with an opportunity to design the future architectural prospect on the Red Planet for others to follow.

Mars awaits its very own ARCHITECT!

Awards

Prizes of total USD 4000 broken down as follows: 

1st Prize: USD 2000 + Certificates + Publication 

2nd Prize: USD 1200 + Certificates+ Publication 

3rd Prize: USD 800 + Certificates+ Publication 

10 Honourable mentions: Certificates  

Winners and Honourable Mentions will be published on the Volume Zero Competitions website and in several international architecture and design magazines.  

To show our appreciation, all the participants would receive a participation certificate.

Jury

Carsten Primdahl, Cebra Architecture, Aarhus, Denmark

Georgi Petrov, SOM, New York, USA

Sushant Verma, rat[LAB] Studio, Mumbai, India

Schedule

Early Bird Registrations: 27th January 2024 to 22nd March 2024
Standard Registrations: 13th April 2024 to 9th May 2024
Closing date for Submissions: 15th May 2024
Announcement of winners: 18th July 2024

Eligibility

Marsception 2024 – The Architecture Competition is open to all. We invite architects, students, engineers, product designers, thinkers, companies, organizations and everyone interested in the mission of the competition to submit their ideas. No professional qualifications are necessary.

Registration fees

Early Bird Registrations: 

Participants from India – 1800+18% GST = INR 2124 (per team) 

Participants from Other Countries - 70 + 18% GST = USD 82.6 (per team) 

Standard Registrations: 

Participants from India – 2400 + 18% GST = INR 2832 (per team) 

Participants from Other Countries – 85+ 18% GST = USD 100.3 (per team)

Read more information about the competition here.

Top image courtesy of Volume Zero Competition.

> via Volume Zero Competition