The first typewriter was designed in 1868. The QWERTY keyboard created to slow down typing so the hooks will not get tangled. When was the last time you used a typewriter? Well, its keyboard stayed — still slowing you down.
What else in your world was designed for a problem that no longer exists?
Your products. Your home. Your city. The way you design space for human life. Most of what you design today follows rules written before electricity was common.
Space architecture is what design looks like when you cannot afford to keep that old keyboard. It is when you finally see the future clearly.
THE AGENDA
6 MODULES
Why do we keep designing new futures with old assumptions? Examine the invisible rules, inherited habits and blind spots embedded in the designed environments around us — and understand why humans and systems resist change even when the need for it is obvious. Space offers a radical way out: extreme environments where nothing can be taken for granted, forcing us to question everything and design again from first principles.
Before designing for space, you need to understand it. Welcome to our solar system: from Earth's orbit and the Moon to Mars and deep space. Map the conditions, destinations and the expanding human presence, and understand how radically the design brief changes once Earth is no longer the default.
Space is no longer the exclusive domain of governments and astronauts. Explore the transformation of the space industry and the arrival of commercial players, private missions and new technologies — opening opportunities far beyond aerospace engineering. Discover where architecture, design, creativity and human experience enter the equation, and why the next space age needs entirely new disciplines at the table.
In space, the human body becomes part of the design brief. Learn the fundamentals of Space Architecture through the conditions, constraints and challenges that shape life beyond Earth — and the solutions developed in response. Trace the evolution of space habitats from machines built to keep humans alive toward environments designed to help humans live, work, perform and thrive.
Survival was only the beginning. As human presence in space expands and missions grow longer, a new question emerges: what does it mean to truly live beyond Earth? Explore the next frontier of human experience — from adaptive habitats and intelligent environments to wellbeing, autonomy, community and culture — and the role architects, designers and creatives will play in shaping entirely new ways of living.
Space is not only a destination. It is a laboratory for Earth’s future. Discover the Boomerang Effect: how space innovation returns to transform life on Earth, how space design principles can reshape your own creative practice, and how looking beyond our planet can help us anticipate and respond to emerging challenges and opportunities here. Translate closed-loop thinking, adaptability, resilience, regeneration, human performance and wellbeing into new ways of designing for what comes next — on Earth, in space, and across everything in between.
*THE AGENDA ADAPTS FOR TEAMS FORMAT UPON INQUIRY*
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for individuals
SAM LIVE
a 2.5 hour masterclass on the future of design
A fast-paced journey through six dimensions of space architecture, designed to challenge assumption about how we build, live and imagine the future.
2.5 hours
live virtual
6 modules
+ live q&a
30 days
recording access
reading list
+ toolkit pdf
SAM LIVE · NEXT EDITION - EARLY 2027
Join the priority list for first
access when registration opens
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for organizations / studios
SAM FOR TEAMS
tailored sessions for teams ready to think differently
Bring space architecture thinking into your organization or studio. Challenge design conventions, explore new possibilities, and reimagine what's next for projects, practice and industry.
single or multi-day formats
tailored for your team and goals
virtual or in person
relevant to all creatives (not just for architects)
custom formats - real conversations - lasting impact
BEHIND THE MASTERCLASS
Michal Ziso is an Earth & Space Architect, futures thinker, and founder of theZISO — a creative disruption platform exploring what becomes possible when design moves beyond familiar boundaries.
With 15 years in architecture and nearly a decade in the space industry, her work bridges the built environment, human-centered design, emerging technologies, and the future of living on Earth and beyond.
A two-time TEDx speaker and International Space University alumna, Michal has shared her thinking with audiences and organizations including NASA and the Dubai Future Foundation, Zaha Hadid Architects, the World Design Organization, Vitra and global design and innovation communities.
Through SAM, she brings the radical constraints and possibilities of space architecture into a new design vocabulary — challenging how we think, imagine, and create.
IN GOOD COMPANY
Selected organizations, institutions, and creative minds we've worked with along the way
FAQ - INDIVIDUALS
SAM is for creatives, architects, designers, and strategists who want to think about design differently. You don't need a background in space or in architecture - you need curiosity and a willingness to question familiar assumptions. If you're already asking "why do we still do it this way?" - this is for you.
A framework for thinking about design constraints as creative drivers. A new perspective from space architecture that apply immediately to earthbound work. You'll leave able to look at any design problem and ask better questions and be able to design future based solutions. You will get to dip your tows in the space industry.
Probably not, but this is the first step if you wish to become one. If this is your chosen path, or one you want to explore, feel free to contact Earth & Space architect Michal Ziso post webinar for guided next steps.
SAM Live runs approximately 2.5 hours including a short break. It's a live virtual session — not a pre-recorded course. There's a live Q&A at the end. Seats are limited to keep the session focused and to allow all participants to ask questions.
Yes — registered participants get access to the recording for 30 days. That said, the live session includes real-time Q&A that won't be in the recording, so if you can join live, it's worth it.
If you register and can't attend (and the recording isn't enough) - reach out within 7 days of the session and we'll sort it out. No complicated conditions.
If you attend and are not satisfied - reach out within 7 days of the session and you will get a full refund. No kidding.
We're working on it. SAM Live is the place to start — and if you'd like to be first to know about a future extended format, please tell us when you register.
FAQ - TEAMS
It can run as a 90-minute keynote-style session, a half-day workshop, a full-day immersive or a multiple day deep-dive — in-person or virtual. The core content stays consistent; the format and exercises adapt to your team size, context, and what you want people to walk away with.
SAM has been delivered to groups from 12 to 500+. For workshop-style engagement (exercises, discussion), under 80 people works best. For keynote format, any size.
Yes. Part of the process includes a brief conversation about your team's work and what you want them to think about differently. The framework is consistent; the examples and focus areas adapt.
For in-person sessions, minimum 6–8 weeks is ideal. For virtual, 3–4 weeks. Reach out early — dates fill around speaking engagements and travel commitments.
Not currently — SAM is a strategic design experience, not an accreditation program. If continuing education credits or certificates are important for your team, mention it in your inquiry and we'll discuss what's possible.
It depends on the type and depth of session delivered, but all sessions provide a base knowledge on which a deeper understanding can be built.