en.Wedoany.com Reported - Heatherwick Studio has won the design competition for an astronomy tourism visitor center in the remote desert of northwestern Saudi Arabia, unveiling the proposal for the AlUla Manara project.
Named after the nearby AlUla village, the visitor center aims to leverage the region's darkest and clearest night skies in the world to attract scientists and tourists. The conceptual design consists of a cluster of masonry-clad tubular structures pointing in different directions toward the sky, inspired by spiral forms found in nature—from galaxies and planetary rings on a cosmic scale to plants, fossils, and shells on Earth. The design also references the surrounding sandstone mountains, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The main visitor center will include a series of exhibition spaces, immersive displays, a planetarium, a restaurant, a rooftop observation deck, and research spaces for scientists that are accessible to visitors. Each tube is topped with a shading device that manages solar heat gain during the day and maintains dark-sky visibility at night, while offering views of the surrounding landscape and sky. The project's master plan also includes a hotel, a stargazing cabin, remote sky observation pods, and multiple telescopes for astronomical research.
Stuart Wood, executive partner and team leader at Heatherwick Studio, described the project as a radical reimagining of a typical astronomy tourism destination. "Space observatories are usually remote, sterile places—technological outposts that feel far removed from the public," Wood said. "We saw an opportunity to break down those barriers, creating a place where visitors can step into the wonder of the universe: an environment that is both immersive and inspiring, standing alongside the most advanced science of our time." Wood added: "Our design draws on the dramatic spiral geometries that shape the solar system above us and the natural world around us. Three interlocking telescope-like structures reach toward the sky while anchoring themselves in the desert landscape—embodying a dialogue between Earth and the cosmos. The AlUla Manara Visitor Center places experiential learning at the heart of world-class science, sparking curiosity and inspiring future generations of stargazers and scientists."
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