Today, French astronaut Sophie Adenot has joined the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the second French woman to embark on a mission to space. Her departure comes at a pivotal moment in space history: the ISS is aging, its planned retirement looms on the horizon of the next decade, and the question of its replacement is now fully on the table.
This transition raises a major challenge: what architectural model should guide future space stations? How can we design habitats capable of ensuring protection, autonomy, health, and long-term well-being?
For several years, the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des Beaux-Arts has placed these questions at the heart of its International Architecture and Innovation Competition. The jury of the Space Prize notably includes two leading figures in space exploration: Claudie Haigneré, the first European woman to travel to space, and Jean-François Clervoy, a veteran of international space missions.
Their involvement on the jury reflects a strong conviction: space exploration cannot be purely technological. It must incorporate architectural, environmental, and profoundly human considerations.
Placing humans at the center of space development means addressing artificial gravity, radiation protection, energy and food autonomy, as well as comfort, culture, and artistic expression. One may recall that Thomas Pesquet brought his saxophone into orbit, a reminder that creativity always accompanies exploration. Tomorrow, what cultural, artistic, or architectural forms will contribute to the psychological balance of crews engaged in long-duration missions?
Space, like the underwater world, is one of the great frontiers explored by the Foundation. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining the arts, sciences, and technologies in service of life, it supports a new generation of creators across five continents who are capable of imagining present and future living environments — on Earth, in the ocean, and beyond.