116th John Stewardson Competition | Finalist from Philadelphia University
In this 10 day sprint competition, participants were prompted to design an observatory for the University of Arizona SkyCenter located on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona. The facility's intent is to educate people about the expanses of the galaxy and make publicly accessible, the Schulman 32-inch telescope. The buildings white aesthetic reflects the traditional aspect of dome observatories while the long and linear form containing program elements for classrooms, visitor amenities and live-in astronomer quarters jets people out over the landscape on a very confined and steep site. The buildings low profile and simple, linear lines makes the building fall away under an observer on the roof leaving nothing but the full scope of the sky around them. The experience becomes completely immersive as the building facilitates an intimate relationship with the emotions experienced by looking at the night sky.
Competition Board
"Peoples’ relationship with space has always been complex and complicated. We have feared it and revered it. It is in the expanse of time that we have now also pledged to conquer it. Still, even as we make our plans to build a frontier among the stars, we lay back on our singular planet in awe of what is to come and what is already there. Frisson. That moment defined as an intense expression of emotion within oneself when one is feeling inspired. It sends a physical shiver through the body of an individual when experiencing a thrill that lingers between excitement and fear. Looking and pondering at the scope of space is almost overwhelming and it takes the breath away leaving many to think about life in a more surreal light. We become extremely aware of our scale and we are conflicted between being together as the human race, and completely alone. This proposed design for the University of Arizona’s SkyCenter Observatory at Mt. Lemmon, AZ., aims to embody this sense. The primary goal is to educate the public by providing learning spaces and access to the Schulman telescope but also to give people the sensation of our vast and beautiful cosmos. The building aims to do this by putting visitors at what seems to be the very edge of earth, letting land fall away and leaving nothing but the sky. It’s linear form launches people out over the landscape. The simple and continuous lines of the building allow it to fall away from the viewers’ consciousness with only a subtle reminder of soft, earthly light ambiently glowing off its walls. It is with these gestures that the building could influence the experience of an individual on a deeper level of self - reflection with no distractions and only the stars above."
