Since the 1970s mankind has been making efforts
to search for extra-terrestrial civilizations. The SETI program was established to scan the universe for ET intelligence, and the subsequent formation of the METI program is proof of mankind’s desire to establish contact with extra-terrestrial civilizations. Through the Pioneer and Voyager missions, that carried messages for alien intelligence, mankind had already set in place a process of inter-planetary communication.
This project takes that idea further and intersects it with
the language of architecture, that often uses the spatial
arrangement of signs and symbols to communicate non-
verbal cultural meaning.
The design process started with collecting images of UFO sightings and working with the hypothesis that these might be actual attempts at communication by extra-terrestrial intelligence. This set of shapes, symbols
and movements were then considered through linguistic
frameworks to attempt potential syntactical structures that would define the exterior and interior of an architectural built form. These linguistic modules, put together in an architectural spatial configuration, form a three-dimensional puzzle that can be read in many different ways to create potential ‘sentences’. The architecture then becomes an exploration of syntactical configurations of these alien forms to mark an attempt at conveying meaning. This process is most clearly articulated on the exterior of the building, but the
interior and the building skin are also designed in a manner that the symbols can be read from various vantage points and remind the user of their purpose.
The proposal for an ET Communications Research
Centre on the Moon extends the work of the SETI and METI program as it will make it easier to observe the universe for signs of intelligence and reach out to potential intelligent life out there. Finally, as a human outpost, the centre on the Moon also acts as a gateway to Earth, and clearly presents a united front for potential communication with any visitors from outer space.