Northern lights Observatory

Double terrain
Our goal is to minimize the intervention to the natural environment. At the same time, the basic idea of our project is to combine the functional needs of the interior spaces, such as observatory, restaurant area,   planetary,  entrance hall,  saunas,  rooms, with the unobstructed view to the sky. That is why, our building has been constructed on a lower level  under  the  physical terrain, like a  box without cup.

The building was placed on a relatively high point of the area, and access was organized by drawing upon the ground a discretionary snake route with sparse markings that thicken only where the direction changes. People forget the urban life style and rediscover their primitive instincts. This enables a seamless approach to building design without aesthetically altering the natural landscape.

When people reach the building, the sight of heaven is perceived through holes whose shape and positions follow the sculpted profile of the ground. The building follows a straight line structure, along which the utility rooms and many points of connection with the surrounding countryside are developed.

An exception is the pointed glass observatory. It is a dynamic prism, but in harmony with the forest environment, mimicking morphological features. It is ejected to the sky from the depths of the earth and finally creates a platform, above the surrounding trees, with unobstructed view. The vertical nature and selective placement of the observatory at the crust of the soil lure humans into a swinging and free contemplation of the heavens.

Architects : Dimitris Anastasiadis, Giorgos Kokolakis, Nikos Troulos