giant habitable cacti colonize a city on mars in manas bhatia's AI-generated series

manas bhatia envisions a sustainable settlement on mars

Uniting the potentials of AI tools ChatGPT and Midjourney, Manas Bhatia has envisioned a futuristic city on Mars, transforming its barren, rusty landscape with overgrown habitable vegetation and giant futuristic pods woven with greenery. Despite its surreal scenario, the conceptual city strives to house a highly efficient and sustainable community, adapted to thrive in the challenging conditions of the red planet.

With his most recent series, from urban planning, to architecture, to interior design, Bhatia’s structures make use of the lack of materials and energy sources by turning to hydroponics. As such, the sci-fi settlements are primarily inspired by the elements and forms of desert cacti. Designed to efficiently conserve resources — much like how cacti are able to survive in harsh desert conditions on Earth — the structures are planned with an emphasis on adaptability, energy efficiency, and self-sufficiency. 

Living on the Red Planet | all images by Manas Bhatia

hydroponics transform cacti into sci-fi habitats

The architect and visual artist’s newest design project explores the solar system, set on Mars in the future. ‘Imagine the year is 2187 and Mars has become a bustling hub of activity,’ he notes. ‘Humans have been living on the red planet for over a century, and the once-barren landscape is now dotted with cities and towns.’ The city’s design primarily draws on desert cacti, known for their ability to survive in harsh and unforgiving environments due to their adaptions to conserve water and protect themselves from the sun’s intense radiation. Studying their design principles and mechanisms, Manas Bhatia emulates the plants’ values to conceive a city that can thrive in the harsh conditions of the red planet.

The proposed city integrates sustainable technologies such as solar power and water recycling systems, similar to how cacti are able to store water in their thick stems. Additionally, the urban planning and architecture incorporates shading and cooling systems to protect inhabitants from the planet’s high temperatures and radiation.

a city inspired by desert cacti

uniting chatgpt & midjourney for an ai-generated narrative

Manas Bhatia’s most recent futuristic concept takes his explorations of AI-generated a step further. Extending beyond his previous use of design tool Midjourney, he takes on ChatGPT to conjure a narrative after feeding the AI original design concepts and specific elements of a building imagined by the artist himself. The output narrative was then used in parts as text prompts for Midjourney to visualise the whole concept.

ChatGPT conjured an original narrative which was then visualized in Midjourney

‘This combined use of AI tools can greatly aid architects in the design process, as it allows for the quick creation of visual representations of their ideas, which can then be easily shared and discussed with clients and other members of the design team. Additionally, it allows for more efficient iteration and experimentation with different design concepts, as visualizations can be generated quickly and easily. This can ultimately lead to more creative and functional designs, as well as a more streamlined design process overall,’ notes Bhatia.

the sustainable, energy efficient structures adapt to the harsh conditions of the planet

the city incorporates solar power and water recycling, emulating cacti’s ability to similar to store water in their stems

Manas Bhatia’s design turns to hydroponics

the series transforms Mars; rusty landscape with overgrown habitable vegetation and giant futuristic pods

project info:

name: Living on the Red Planet
designer: Manas Bhatia

programs: ChatGPT & Midjourney

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom