Architecture studio Snøhetta has completed Orionis, a planetarium in Douai, France, that features two domes surrounded by sweeping wooden walls.
The planetarium, which is located in northern France, was made from materials informed by the surrounding area.
The Orionis planetarium has a wall made of poplar wood
Its elliptical shape is comprised of a wall made from poplar wood and a glazed wall with steel brise-soleils. These draw on the architecture of the nearby Arkéos archaeology museum, with which Orionis shares its parking lots and landscaped areas.
The shape of the 2,000-square-metre building was informed by its function as a space where visitors can explore the night sky.
It features two domes set within an elliptical shape
"?We wanted to propose an extraordinary meeting place and a new destination for the inhabitants of Douai," said Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. "The architectural and urban concept of our project takes its inspiration from the elliptical movement of the stars," he added.
"Being continuous, fluid and perpetual are notions that we have reinterpreted in the project, not only in terms of the shape but also in the experience that visitors will have of the planetarium, all senses employed."
A landscaped area surrounds the planetarium
The planetarium, which opened to the public in May, houses a reception area, exhibition spaces and an amphitheatre. It features two domes, which are covered in PVC and house the bu...