The Martian Embassy by LAVA architects was designed as an immersive space of oscillating plywood ribs brought to life by red planet light and sound projections. The concept is a fusion of a whale, a rocket and a time tunnel and was inspired by Moby Dick, H. G. Wells' Time Machine and 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick.
The Embassy is the new home for The Sydney Story Factory, a not-for-profit creative writing centre for young people in Sydney. Project partners Will O’Rourke and The Glue Society developed the Martian concept which was road tested with kids - of all ages.
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The concept is to awaken creativity in kids, so the design acts as a trigger, firing up the engines of imagination. It’s an intergalactic journey - from the embassy, at the street entrance, to the shop full of red planet traveller essentials, to the classroom. By the time kids reach the writing classes they have forgotten they are in “school”.
LAVA used a fluid geometry to merge the three program components [embassy, school and shop], and a computer model was sliced and ‘nested’ into buildable components. 1068 pieces of CNC-cut plywood were put together like a giant puzzle. Technologies from the yacht and space industry were used to create the timber ribs. Edged with Martian green, the curvy plywood flows seamlessly from reception desk to shop shelves to tables and benches. Walls, ceiling and floor, space, ornament and structure, become one element.
A mix of Martian essential oils inspires young imaginations, whilst the sounds and lights of the red planet animate the space. Martian passports, alien money, 1kg cans of gravity, abduction kits and SPF 5000 sunscreen are just some of the 'Made on Mars' gift products sold in the Martian Embassy store.
