Project Description
Located in the heart of campus, this 12,124 SF planetarium building is intended to be an iconic statement which will stimulate and educate individuals of all ages and backgrounds in the world of science. In developing the design a series of program workshops were conducted with a wide range of faculty stakeholders from science, math, art, music, humanities, administrators, staff and community representatives. The design team was challenged with three directives…the building must be iconic, it must say and be a “planetarium” first and it must reflect the architectural character of the 1950 modern, Neutra planned campus.
The resulting building, reflective of a galaxy in its plan and site organization, houses a 130-seat immersive theatre / planetarium, a Foucault pendulum, exhibit areas and staff support spaces. The planetarium and Foucault pendulum are intended for use by K-12 students, the college and general public. The planetarium contains both digital and star projection systems which are designed to function as both a theatre and large lecture hall.