Ascension: A Sensory Architecture Tribute to Apollo 11's Legacy

What if a building could replicate the full arc of a space mission, from the thrust of launch to the quiet splash of ocean reentry? Ascension attempts exactly that: a boomerang-shaped structure that rises and descends across three programmatic levels, turning visitors into surrogate astronauts through indoor skydiving chambers, G-force simulators, and a planetarium buried deep below grade. The architecture is not a container for exhibits. It is the exhibit, a spatial sequence engineered to produce the physical and emotional transitions of spaceflight.

Designed by Eduardo Sanchez and Fernanda SG, the project won the People's Choice Award in the Moontrip 2019 competition. Sited in Washington D.C., Ascension was conceived as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Its curving, boomerang-like form references the poetic trajectory of a space shuttle: departure, orbit, return. A surrounding water element completes the narrative, evoking the capsule's ocean splashdown and adding a sensory layer to the building's symbolic program.

Ground Level: Zero Gravity and Open Sky

The ground level presentation board reveals how the journey begins. An indoor skydiving chamber anchors this floor, simulating zero-gravity conditions while offering uninterrupted rooftop views of the D.C. skyline. The axonometric plan and section drawing show visitors entering an open, flowing environment that gradually guides them downward, into the building's subterranean levels. An outdoor amphitheater sits adjacent, providing a public gathering space for live demonstrations and performances. The material palette visible in the board, dominated by warm oranges borrowed directly from the color of space suits, establishes the project's visual identity from the first encounter.

Sub Level -1: Simulation Chambers and Reflective Learning

Descending one level, the program splits into two complementary zones. The presentation board for Sub Level -1 displays interior renderings saturated in orange and yellow finishes, with geometric patterns lining walls and ceilings. On one side: G-force simulators, mission control stations, and rock-climbing walls deliver visceral, physical learning. On the other: lecture halls and conference spaces support slower, reflective engagement. The pairing is deliberate. Sanchez and SG treat the visitor's body as a learning instrument, toggling between adrenaline and contemplation to simulate the full psychological range of astronaut training.

The interactive philosophy here is straightforward: learning by doing. Visitors activate walls with touch, interact with simulation chambers, and move through architectural volumes that function like compartments of a spacecraft. Indoor and outdoor ramps link the levels, reinforcing both accessibility and the storytelling of ascent and descent.

Sub Level -2: Deep Space Below Grade

The lowest level is where the immersion becomes total. The board for Sub Level -2 shows curved ceilings, exhibition spaces, and reflective orange surfaces that dissolve boundaries between floor, wall, and ceiling. A planetarium occupies the center of the program, surrounded by a space-themed cafeteria, interstellar pit stops, and a recreation station. Details like zero-gravity chairs and neon-lit modules reinforce the sensation of life aboard a vessel drifting through deep space. Being buried furthest from the surface is the point: visitors are meant to feel the distance from Earth.

Symbolism That Operates at Every Scale

What elevates Ascension beyond spectacle is the consistency of its symbolic logic. The boomerang form speaks of return and continuity. The water element surrounding the structure is not decorative but narrative, grounding the building's conclusion in the historical reality of capsule recovery. The orange palette is not aesthetic preference; it is a direct material citation of the suits that kept astronauts alive. Even the programmatic layering, moving from open sky at ground level to enclosed darkness at Sub Level -2, mirrors the spatial compression of leaving Earth's atmosphere. Every decision reinforces a single story.

Why This Project Matters

Space architecture as a discipline tends to focus on the extraterrestrial: habitats for Mars, lunar stations, orbital shelters. Sanchez and SG redirect that energy toward Earth, asking what space architecture can teach us about designing for human sensation and memory. Ascension treats the body as its primary audience, orchestrating physical experiences (freefall, pressure, enclosure) to communicate ideas that no plaque or projection screen could convey as effectively.

The People's Choice recognition feels appropriate. The project's strength lies in its accessibility, not just in ramps and circulation, but in the fundamental premise that anyone can understand spaceflight if architecture lets them feel it. Fifty years after Apollo 11, Ascension argues that the most powerful tribute to exploration is not a monument but a machine for producing wonder.

View the Full Project

About the Designers

Designers: Eduardo Sanchez, Fernanda SG

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Project credits: Ascension by Eduardo Sanchez, Fernanda SG Moontrip 2019 (uni.xyz).