Multiple space agencies and commercial space entities will be taking us back to the Moon, with goal of establishing the necessary infrastructure to keep going back. In particular, NASA, the ESA, Roscosmos, and China are all planning on establishing outposts that will allow for scientific research and a sustained human presence. The ESA is currently showcasing what its outpost will look like at the 17th annual Architecture Exhibition at the La Biennale di Venezia museum in Venice. It’s known as the International Moon Village, which was designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with technical support from the ESA. This same company recently unveiled a prototype of the skeletal metal component that will one day be part of the Village’s lunar habitats. The component was built by MX3D, an Amersterdam-based 3D printing architecture and design firm specializing in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. This process involves fusing metal wires with lasers to create lightweight metal objects with high structural strength.Designed to meet efficiency, use, and construction constraints, the structure’s smooth web pattern design emerged from delineating stress map analysis and optimising a continuous topology to reduce mass and make maximum use of 3D printing manufacturing methods. The skeletal, smooth web pattern will be part of the flooring for each habitat that collectively makes up the ESA’s International Lunar Village. The prototype was created using a robotic 3D printer out of 308LSi stainless steel over the course of about 10 days, measures 4.5 meters in diameter, and has a total mass of approximately 395 kgs.The floor component consists of six separate segments that were printed vertically before being welded together. When integrated with SOM’s design for a four-story semi-inflatable habitat, the 3D printed structure will be supported by three columns and covered by a series of floor panels. The flooring and manufacturing process are consistent with SOM’s habitat design, which calls for four-story semi-inflatable shells that collectively make the International Lunar Village. Each semi-inflatable shell structure measures four stories high and offers the highest possible volume to mass ratio. Once inflated on the lunar surface, each of these habitats will approximately double its original internal volume.The module’s inflatable design allows it to be compressed for the sake of transport and then inflated to its full size once it is deployed to the lunar surface. But unlike previous inflatable designs, where the structural and mechanical systems are typically at the center, SOM’s design allows for an open interior that optimizes the living experience.
Multiple space agencies and commercial space entities will be taking us back to the Moon, with goal of establishing the necessary infrastructure to keep going back. In particular, NASA, the ESA, Roscosmos, and China are all planning on establishing outposts that will allow for scientific research and a sustained human presence. The ESA is currently showcasing what its outpost will look like at the 17th annual Architecture Exhibition at the La Biennale di Venezia museum in Venice. It’s known as the International Moon Village, which was designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with technical support from the ESA. This same company recently unveiled a prototype of the skeletal metal component that will one day be part of the Village’s lunar habitats. The component was built by MX3D, an Amersterdam-based 3D printing architecture and design firm specializing in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. This process involves fusing metal wires with lasers to create lightweight metal objects with high structural strength.Designed to meet efficiency, use, and construction constraints, the structure’s smooth web pattern design emerged from delineating stress map analysis and optimising a continuous topology to reduce mass and make maximum use of 3D printing manufacturing methods. The skeletal, smooth web pattern will be part of the flooring for each habitat that collectively makes up the ESA’s International Lunar Village. The prototype was created using a robotic 3D printer out of 308LSi stainless steel over the course of about 10 days, measures 4.5 meters in diameter, and has a total mass of approximately 395 kgs.The floor component consists of six separate segments that were printed vertically before being welded together. When integrated with SOM’s design for a four-story semi-inflatable habitat, the 3D printed structure will be supported by three columns and covered by a series of floor panels. The flooring and manufacturing process are consistent with SOM’s habitat design, which calls for four-story semi-inflatable shells that collectively make the International Lunar Village. Each semi-inflatable shell structure measures four stories high and offers the highest possible volume to mass ratio. Once inflated on the lunar surface, each of these habitats will approximately double its original internal volume.The module’s inflatable design allows it to be compressed for the sake of transport and then inflated to its full size once it is deployed to the lunar surface. But unlike previous inflatable designs, where the structural and mechanical systems are typically at the center, SOM’s design allows for an open interior that optimizes the living experience.
