Detail of metal 3D printed structure

A skeletal floor design for the ESA-supported lunar habitat design – created by leading architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and currently on show at this year’s Venice Biennale – was 3D printed in stainless steel by Dutch company MX3D, famous for creating a 3D-printed bridge in Amsterdam. The design is based on a web pattern that followed the angular limits of the 3D printing machines. The cross section and thickness was also analysed and differentiated to reduce the overall mass – with reduced thickness at the exterior/interior boundaries.