COMMUNITY ASTRONOMY CENTER

SONORAN DESERT

 

Concept design and fundraising package for a proposed 7,000 sf Community Astronomy Center, for a local non-profit organization, looking for a permanent home to expand their programs. The project was inspired by the Giovale Open-Deck Observatory at the Lowell Observatory, and the need for additional community-focused star-gazing facilities in Southern Arizona.  

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The unique program, combining STEAM education and mental health, offered an opportunity to have an inspired and heartfelt dialogue with the clients about their own journey into astronomy, the level of world-class astronomy already taking place in Arizona, different potential phases for the organization, and how we might take a vision and bring it into reality. Site visits to other observatories grounded a visionary approach with practical reality.

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The project features an entry sequence to acclimate to a new environment, a lobby that brings you into an intimate multipurpose space that can be used for teaching, for community gatherings, meditation sessions, and dome projections. Separate classrooms and a more technical telescope maintenance and storage space allows for different types of STEAM teaching opportunities, and the office space and conference room create permanent meeting spaces for the non-profit. Exterior spaces like the star-gazing plaza and a roof-deck create opportunities for the facility to be used in the evenings without opening up the entire facility. 

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This project continues to look for a home and the funds to bring this vision to life.