Design is now playing a key strategic role for Space to enhance the well-being of extraterrestrial habitats and to propose new virtuous, sustainable scenarios to strengthen the relationship between humans and nature in a confined environment, deprived of natural sensory stimuli and, above all, with reduced gravity.

At present, all the efforts of the space agencies and industries are concentrated on the development of lunar base projects, which will be the first outpost on our satellite. The most recent proposals focus on the use of in-situ resources, such as regolith, adapted to the new environmental characteristics. A fundamental issue will be the complete self-sufficiency of the base, which will have to function as a living organism capable of generating and fully recycling its resources.

On the lunar surface, the use of microalgae represents an opportunity of great relevance for Space Design, especially when used in innovative applications that go beyond the traditional functional and nutritional aspects, also integrating psycho-physiological and emotional dimensions, with the aim of recreating an authentic “symbiotic relationship” between humans and nature.

The inflatable dome encloses a forest of vertical bioreactors and a space for recreational activities. Each technological tree integrates natural and synthetic biological functions for the cultivation of microalgae. The trees are arranged in a hexagonal grid structure to optimise production density and light capture capacity. A simple mechanism allows each tree to bend and rotate to face the sun, maximising the amount of natural light harvested.