UN Orbital Algae Farm - Late 2100s

Algae based orbital farms are a straightforward way to produce food in space. The space outside the station and inside the outer hull is not pressurized. From a practical standpoint, this provides an extra layer of physical and psychological safety for the expanding number of space travelers. The outer hull acts as a fail safe to stop accidentally untethered astronauts or valuable farm equipment from floating off, simplifying the equipment needed for EVAs. If the station proper becomes uninhabitable, astronauts can shelter within the outer hull. It also provides a potential expansion mode if future project planners wish to pressurize the whole facility. Aesthetic considerations play a part as well. With space construction more commonplace, a new generation of architects finds that organizations and corporations want their stations to stand out and are willing to give architects/engineers free reign with the new geometries of spaceflight.