Fuertes Space Observatory Tower

Cornell University's Fuertes Space Observatory is reinterpreted as an academic icon for the campus in respect to the university's developments and enthusiasm in astronomical research. The 1917 Neoclassical academic building holds historic and modern telescopes for the Department of Astronomy. The site is designated in response to the studio's focus of the solar system and its scalar interpretations.

The design is determined by means of planetary derived built units, diverse in form and program, to hold different educational atmospheres. The architectural entities will be aligned vertically over the observatory's centralized dome by means of independent structure. The architectural assemblage and the existing observatory will be unified by means of a draped metal fabric facade. Raising the observatory's dome above planetary education units, the new dome becomes the highest point on campus to best serve its programmatic and symbolic function of astronomical study.