Local materials–on Earth–can mean anything from thatched grass to reclaimed wood. On the moon, it means one thing only: the rocky sand that covers the barren, oxygen-less planet. Lunar soil might not lend itself to conventional construction techniques, but the finely grained stuff is perfect for 3-D printing. Now, the inventor of the large-format 3-D printer D-Shape, Enrico Dini, has teamed up with theEuropean Space Agency and Foster + Partners to test whether the first lunar habitats could be printed using the sand.

1 | 3-D Printing The First Lunar Space Station With Space Soil | Co.Design | business + design.