"I wanted to discard my terrestrial prejudices, leave behind the conventions of gravity and join the engineers, designers and citizens who are working to realize the first determined attempts to live beyond Earth," Rombaut said.

"I hope in the near future more architects will join the discussion on space architecture by joining engineers now and not after the first habitats are built," he told SPACE.com.

Rombaut said he wanted to challenge himself in designing the "Lunatic" hotel. The structure would be functional while built to operate in lunar day/night temperatures, thwart incoming radiation, and survive in a vacuum.

"The Earth is always at the same location within the Moon's sky. In my design, the position of the Earth is crucial," Rombaut said. Though visitors must confront their absence from Earth, he said, keeping the home planet in view is a good psychological anchor.

Visitors who touch down at the Beacon #1 landing platform are whisked via moon buggy to the hotel, "which lies like a lighthouse in a gray desert," Rombaut said.

The hotel can house about 200 visitors and almost the same amount of personnel. Hotel workers are located underneath the Moon, protected from doses of radiation during their long duty times and work-a-day schedule.

Rombaut's double-occupancy towers are built for safety. If something goes wrong in one tower, visitors are moved to the other spire. Guests live inside teardrop-shaped "habitation capsules" that are suspended within the tower complex. Restaurants top the Lunatic, ready to serve the hungry traveler during his or her two-week stay.

The Rima Prinz area would be transformed into a nature reserve. Doing so, the architect said, would preserve the beauty of the Moon. Boot marks, spread willy-nilly across the lunar regolith is a no-no. Footprint pollution must be kept to a minimum.

There are spots where visitors can encounter the lunar surface itself, but other areas are posted with no trespassing signs, Rombaut said.