Completed in 2008 for the Line of Site competition, the brief required an observatory to view the Aurora Borealis located near Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

I set out to create a more permanent structure which emulated that of an igloo (temporary structure), and then merged this with a tower element which not only provides space to view the aurora borealis but also acts as a waypoint highlighting a route through the unforgiving terrain. Unlike an igloo the structure has three entrances, this is inspired by the way the igloo is constructed to have the entrance facing away from prevailing winds, however as the observatory is not a temporary structure it has three entrances to alleviate wind penetration by only using one entrance at any one time, whichever entrance is least in line with the wind direction.

Plans and Elevations