SOM exhibits first permanent human village on the moon at the venice architecture biennale

visitors to this year’s venice architecture biennale will get a taste of the first permanent human settlement on the lunar surface, courtesy of skidmore, owings & merrill (SOM). together with the european space agency (ESA), SOM will present ‘moon village’ in the exhibition ‘life beyond earth’, where architectural models of the habitat will be on view, alongside renders and digital animations. the project explores what it would take to extend human civilization beyond earth and establish a new frontier in space.all images  © SOM | slashcube GmbH, unless stated otherwise

‘moon village’ was first revealed in 2019 by skidmore, owings & merrill (SOM), who developed the concept in partnership with the european space agency (ESA) and the massachusetts institute of technology (MIT). the project presents a master plan for how human life could look like on the lunar surface, exploring ways to settle there on a permanent basis. the master plan envisions a moon village sited on the rim of shackleton crater in the south polar region, on the ‘peaks of eternal light’ which receive near-continuous daylight throughout the lunar year.

the lunar settlement consists of clusters of modules, which are connected to enable seamless mobility between structures, with communications towers on the highest ridges of the uneven terrain. the individual pressurized modules are designed as three to four-story structures, with workspaces, living quarters, and environmental control and life support systems. each module can inflate and expand to increase user space for future growth and program requirements.

SOM and ESA will present the ‘moon village’ during this year’s venice architecture biennale, which will run from may 22 to november 21, 2021. located inside the arsenale’s corderie venue, the ‘life beyond earth’ exhibition will bring together architectural models of the lunar habitats, digital animations and renderings.image by lucas blair simpson © SOM

project info:

name: moon village

creators: skidmore, owings & merrill (SOM) + european space agency (ESA)

collaborator: massachusetts institute of technology (MIT)

exhibition: life beyond earth, part of the 17th venice architecture biennale

duration: may 22 to november 21, 2021

location: corderie, arsenale, venice, italy