Another important international recognition for the Technical University of Crete comes from the field of Space architecture, as researcher Christina Balomenaki of the Transformative Intelligent Environments Laboratory (TUC TIE Lab) of the School of Architecture was selected as Ambassador at the leading international panel “Next Generation Plenary – Designing the Future of Human Spaceflight” of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025), which took place in Sydney, Australia on October 1, 2025.
Ms. Balomenaki, as emphasized in a relevant announcement, was one of five young scientists worldwide who represented the new generation of researchers in the field of human space exploration. The panel focused on the future of living and working in Space, with an emphasis on three key axes of human space design:
Space Architecture – designing habitable structures and stations for long-duration missions
Life Support for Space – sustaining human life on long-duration missions
Inclusive Design – promoting equal and inclusive participation in Space exploration
As part of her participation, Ms. Balomenaki presented evidence from her research on the interaction of spatial and psychosocial factors in prolonged living in extreme environments, based on the activities of the TUC TIE Lab and her experience from the 2024–2025 Antarctic Mission.
Finally, it should be emphasized that its participation in this international forum constitutes evidence of the recognition of the research work of the Technical University of Crete and is part of the strategy of promoting the architecture of extreme environments as a rapidly developing scientific field with global impact.
