Famed architecture firm Foster + Partners has a new project for a 50-meter-tall solar tower that unfolds from a sophisticated 3D printed scaffolding.

Oh, and one small note – it’s designed for the surface of the moon.

The design for this massive 50-meter solar array is like a signpost, with a large solar array that folds out from either side.

Designed for a future moon outpost, the solar arrays are designed to rise up from a spiral, 3D-printed tower, and extend sail-like solar panels.

Partnering with NASA and 3D printing studio Branch Technology, Foster + Partners previewed this design to showcase how critical future power and communication networks will be on the moon’s surface.

Below is a video showing the unfurling of the impressive tower, dramatically set to Blue Danube.

We expect more infrastructure explorations like this as moon bases become more of a reality.


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Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

1 Comment

  1. arcb42633

    That is so cool.

    That would look good in a backyard but I don’t know how tall it would need to be.

    Will it run on solar power to open it?
    Will it have to be cleaned occasionally due to solar dust floating around the moon?

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