In conversation with Annalisa Dominoni & Benedetto Quaquaro, pioneers in architecture and design for space and extreme environments, Space Design becomes a vision of interplanetary living where technology, beauty, and empathy converge. From sensory-driven habitats to robots that convey the sensation of a hug, their Use & Gesture Design methodology turns microgravity into an opportunity—shaping environments that nurture body, mind, and emotion, bringing a touch of home to the cosmos.
What does designing for space mean and what does it imply?
Space architecture is undergoing a period of great transformation and development thanks to the private sector, which is fuelling a vision of the future of an interplanetary humanity that will inhabit space. Designing for space does not just mean creating habitats to protect against hostile external conditions, but also going beyond functional aspects to consider physiological, sensory and emotional aspects, which are altered in confined environments due to the lack of natural stimuli. The goal is to evolve towards an advanced concept of “biosphere” to improve the quality of life and relationships between humans and nature, even beyond Earth.
If today, on our planet, architecture looks to the future by imagining smart, inclusive and sustainable cities – continuous cities, of immense dimensions that will be connected and accessible through networks similar to neural networks, capable of communicating with the population immediately and creating fluid services defined by collective needs – in space, architecture is inspired by the same idea of the future, facing greater complexity, some of which is still unknown, seeking new languages that can combine technological innovation and aesthetics, science and beauty. In this scenario, the role of the architect and spatial designer that we promote is to design “sensory space environments” that represent a new way of experiencing space beyond Earth in harmony with the cosmos without sacrificing a symbiotic relationship with nature.
Can you give us an example of a project you have carried out for space that could also be applied on Earth?
The new Sensory Space Station project we have developed for Thales Alenia Space introduces, for the first time, an entire module dedicated to astronaut entertainment. Not only experiments and facilities, but an environment that promotes leisure and relaxation, for which we have proposed a series of innovations to compensate for the lack of natural stimuli in confined environments, but also to meet the need for privacy that comes from living in a group in small spaces. This is no easy challenge, considering that we are dealing with an extreme environment that involves conditions different from those we experience in everyday life, such as confinement and microgravity.
The latter is particularly fascinating because it affects many design parameters, for example, by cancelling out weight or altering the shape and perception of things.
The first innovation was “light quality”, which can change colour and intensity to reproduce the natural day and night cycle and thus rebalance circadian rhythms altered by the lack of natural light. But there is also what we might call “light architecture”, which defines different areas and atmospheres in the same open environment, depending on the activities carried out by the crew, by adjusting the light temperature and shape using light screens to divide spaces or light bubbles that define work or relaxation areas. Another innovation was “acoustic quality”, because noise is amplified in confined spaces. To reduce the constant background noise produced by the space station’s on-board instruments, we covered the interior of the modules and part of the furnishings with sound-absorbing textiles. Working with materials and textures allowed us to enhance the “visual and tactile qualities” of the surfaces with the aim of creating a warmer, more homely overall feel than the cold aluminium that covers the interior of the ISS.
Designed by Annalisa Dominoni and Benedetto for Thales Alenia Space in 2019, the Sensory Space Station represents the avant-garde of space architecture. It stimulates all the senses to counteract the lack of natural stimuli in a confined environment.
Can you explain the methodology behind the Use & Gesture Design you have created?
The Use & Gesture Design (UGD) methodology was created by Annalisa Dominoni with the first Portable Caddy project, a tool container that Alenia Space commissioned Annalisa to develop in 1998 for routine maintenance of the European Columbus module of the International Space Station.
What attracts us most about spatial design is the “predictive capacity” that comes into play when imagining how new habitats will be experienced, how our products will be used in space, how they will interact with astronauts and the environment, how they will react to external stresses and how they will support activities. Throughout this process of analysis and projection, it is very useful to apply the UGD methodology that is created specifically for the space environment, and which helps us to define the characteristics of habitats, equipment and even clothing, which are very different from those we use on Earth, as confinement and microgravity. We believe that designing for space means being “visionary”, overturning conventional thinking, such as turning reduced gravity into an advantage instead of considering it a limitation, and proposing solutions that would not be possible on Earth.
The cutting edge of space architecture and space design is the “Sensory Space Station”.
“Space Design acts as a bridge between science, technology and beauty.”
In terms of the more empathetic aspects of design, what contribution does the “Space Design” approach, or rather UGD, make?
Space Design – thanks to the UGD methodology and multidisciplinary approach that allows different disciplines such as mechatronics and robotics engineering to be integrated to generate disruptive innovations – can have a decisive impact on the form and performance of new products, creating new gestures and behaviours, but also drawing inspiration from sensory aspects of our everyday lives that aim to make us feel at home in space. One example is the Send Sense project. The sense of loneliness felt by crew members when they are away from home and their families for many months is one of the biggest problems of living in space in a confined environment. Although this is currently reduced thanks to the possibility of making video calls, physical absence cannot be overcome. Send Sense provides the sensation of a hug thanks to two soft twin robots that allow two people, one on Earth and one in space, to communicate by remotely sending the sensation of movement and touch provided by the movement of internal fluids controlled by a CPU. They consist of a rigid core, for charging and transmission, and a soft part, and can be worn on the hand or around the arm.
What are the implications of UGD in the context of neurodesign?
As space designers, designing for the future, we have always been involved in neuroscience, making a contribution that goes beyond the functional and survival aspects, which are fundamental in space, and also embracing aesthetic values. Space Design goes beyond functional aspects to consider physiological and emotional factors that have a major influence on our behaviour. Living in space in a confined environment means a total lack of natural elements – such as air, water, light, temperature, humidity, and the sounds of nature – which are fundamental to our biorhythms. Another example is Star Fruit, an orange-shaped “comfort food” made with edible packaging containing fruit powder. When water is added, it expands to take on the defined shape of the fruit without producing waste. The act of eating the segments of a fruit compensates for the lack of natural food in space with a tactile and visual experience that evokes memories of taste and smell.
In your space projects, what is the relationship with aesthetics?
Space Design has the power to add beauty to technology and to transform the lack of gravity, considered a limitation, into an opportunity, by creating environmental and tool-based solutions that could not exist on Earth and that offer new ways of inhabiting and using objects, understood as body extensions to amplify comfort and performance in Space. Our recent projects of prosthetic objects combine the languages of beauty and technology to improve the performance of astronauts and parastronauts. Organic Sculpture is a prosthetic object that replaces a leg. Applying the Use & Gesture Design (UGD) methodology to analyse the behaviour and movements of the body underwater, which are very similar to those assumed in microgravity, this project is inspired by the way octopuses use their tentacles, taking advantage of the environmental laws of space. We love to conclude the interview with this example, which shows how design for space is a bridge between science, technology and beauty.
The exhibition of space objects and prototypes, “Cities of the Universe”, held at Le Scuderie of the Prague Embassy in December 2024 as part of the travelling multimedia “Design Spaziale Italiano” project curated by Annalisa Dominoni and Benedetto Quaquaro.
Is it possible to experience a long-distance hug with our loved ones, between Earth and Space, wearing sensations thanks to soft robots?
The “Use & Gesture Design” methodology allows to “pre-dict” the new behaviours of people and objects in space.
Gravity is the “great designer” that changes the shape and the meaning of life in space.
Organic Sculpture is a prosthetic device designed to replace the legs of parastronauts in space. Taking inspiration from the way octopuses use their tentacles to their advantage in space, it applies the Use & Gesture Design (UGD) methodology to analyse body behaviour and movement in microgravity.
Star Fruit is an orange-shaped “comfort food” with edible packaging containing fruit powder. It provides a tactile and visual experience that compensates for the lack of natural food in space, evoking memories of terrestrial tastes, smells and gestures.
Both PhDs, architects and designers, Annalisa Dominoni and Benedetto Quaquaro are the founders of the (a+b) studio and leading experts in architecture and design for space and extreme environments. They teach at the School of Design at the Politecnico di Milano, where in 2017 they created the world’s first and only space design course, Space4InspirACTion, supported by the European Space Agency. They are responsible for ESA_LAB@PoliMi_Design, the space design research laboratory at the Department of Design at the Politecnico di Milano. They collaborate on an ongoing basis with leading international space agencies and industries and with major design and Made in Italy companies. Their projects have been shown in several prestigious exhibitions, including the 23rd International Triennale Milano Unknown Unknowns.
An Introduction to Mysteries in 2023. They are Design Ambassadors and curators of international exhibitions, including Design Spaziale Italiano, a multimedia exhibition touring the world in 2024 and 2025. They are the authors of more than 200 publications and essays on design culture, which have contributed to establishing the strategic role of design in space.
dipartimentodesign.polimi.it/en
Copyright © Homa 2026
All rights reserved
