In a step towards making life outside of our planet a real possibility, international architects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) have proposed an entire settlement concept for what they hope will be the first full-time human habitat on the lunar surface.

Debuting a tabletop model of their design at the 17th International Venice Biennale, SOM’s “Moon Village” features a grouping of connected research stations and associated solar power grids.
“The project presents a completely new challenge for the field of architectural design,” said Design Partner Colin Koop in a statement. “The Moon Village must be able to sustain human life in an otherwise uninhabitable setting. We have to consider problems that no one would think about on Earth, like radiation protection, pressure differentials, and how to provide breathable air.”
Working in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), SOM designed this moon community to be situated near the lunar South Pole, on the rim of Shackleton Crater, a part of the Moon that receives almost continuous daylight throughout the year. All that light could be channeled for energy storage, enabling the settlement to be self-sufficient.
The site is also close to water-ice deposits in shadowed depressions that could be harvested to produce oxygen for breathing. Additionally, that water could help create rocket propellant for transportation needs,...