In what has to be the most novel use of the 3D printer we’ve seen to date, iconic British architects Foster + Partners are exploring the possibility of 3D printing buildings on the moon. Working with the European Space Agency, the company is investigating the use of lunar soil to make a four-person home, sheltering inhabitants from the extreme climate, gamma radiation and meteorites. Not your average job spec.

The architects, having already built a 1.5t mock-up of the structure and used a vacuum chamber to test smaller models, are hoping that the first structure will be constructed at the moon’s south pole, where it’ll be exposed to continuous sunlight. In keeping with the firm’s approach to earth-based buildings, the structures will be made from local, sustainable materials - layers of lunar soil, known as regolith, will be built up around a prepacked modular tube frame by a robot-operated D-shape printer.

3D printing is experiencing something of a prolific boom at the moment – we’ve already looked at printing records, fine art, athletic equipment and even human cells.