Morgan Sindall Construction praised after uniting with contractors to create Bristol home ready for 'life on Mars'
Morgan Sindall Construction are among a group of construction companies hailed as “amazing” after rallying behind plans to build a full-scale ‘Martian’ house, a two-storey gold inflatable house in the heart of Bristol, designed to showcase the possibilities for human life on Mars.
Led by Southern Construction Framework (SCF), Morgan Sindall Construction was one of the companies which generously donated time, expertise and resources worth an estimated £170,000 to bring the art project to life.
The project team sprang into action in support of the five-year project spearheaded by artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent after they asked SCF to help them turn their vision into reality. The team have contributed with the build and materials for the Martian House project which is based at the M Shed Square in Bristol, as part of an ongoing public art project, Building a Martian House.
Emma Bull, SCF Senior Framework Manager said:
It’s fair to say we’re all very proud of the Martian House project, and I’m on Cloud Nine seeing the building form over the last few weeks after over a year of development and coordination. Collaboration is at the heart of everything Southern Construction Framework does, so we’re all delighted to have played a role in creating the truly extraordinary Martian House by bringing together leading contractors. The way the companies in Southern Construction Framework’s supply chain have collaborated is also extraordinary and for nine separate bodies to come together on an artistic project appears to be unprecedented. Working together and throwing their weight behind the Martian House project, speaks volumes about our partners’ commitment to unite in support of the communities where they work and make a positive difference to public spaces.”
Dave Cotterill, Head of Design for Morgan Sindall Construction said:
Really great to see all of the SCF Partners collaborating in this way, helping the Martian House artists vision become reality, over-coming challenges in the process, has been a fun and fulfilling. Great to see the installation complete and open to the public.”
The project has so far brought together space scientists, architects, engineers, designers and the public to explore how we live today and stimulate visions for new ways of living here on Earth and on Mars. The artists behind Martian House have been full of praise for the invaluable backing from Southern Construction Framework and its construction industry partners.
Ella said:
This project has been a huge collaboration, involving all kinds of different people, from space scientists to school children. Southern Construction Framework embraced this spirit of collaboration by bringing together an amazing team of contractors who have been hard at work building our Martian House. We simply could not have brought the project to life without their help.”
Nicki added:
Considering how we might live on Mars helps us re-think every aspect of our lives here on Earth. Mars is a place where you’d have to live carefully and sustainably and so helps bring sharp focus on how we live today. Our project shows that we can all have input into how we think about the future.”
A team led by world experts in extreme architecture, Hugh Broughton Architects, working in partnership with design studio Pearce+, developed the design. They created a lightweight prototype building which could be easily transported to Mars whilst withstanding its inhospitable conditions. The team worked alongside scientific and engineering experts Professor Lucy Berthoud, Dr Bob Myhill and Professor James Norman from University of Bristol.
The house is now open and there will be a three-month programme of workshops, talks and events for all ages including a live panel discussion with the design team.