Heatherwick Studio公布天文旅游游客中心及总体规划设计
Heatherwick Studio近日公布了一座天文旅游（Astrotourism）游客中心的设计方案。该项目将建于沙特阿拉伯西北部偏远沙漠地区、靠近古城欧拉（AlUla）的位置。作为一处融合暗夜天空旅游与天体研究功能的目的地，这里将成为科学家与公众共同探索宇宙奥秘的平台。项目命名为“AlUla Manara”，所在区域近期被评选为当地首批“暗夜天空公园”（Dark Sky Park）之一。该游客中心及其总体规划方案由欧拉皇家委员会（Royal Commission for AlUla）通过国际设计竞赛遴选确定。
Heatherwick Studio has unveiled the design for an astrotourism visitor centre, set to be built in the remote deserts of north-west Saudi Arabia, near the ancient city of AlUla. Conceived as a hub for dark-sky tourism and celestial research, the destination will bring together scientists and visitors in a shared space of exploration and discovery. Named AlUla Manara – located in an area recently selected as one of the first Dark Sky Parks in the region – the design for the centre and its broader masterplan was selected by the Royal Commission for AlUla, following an international design competition.
▼效果图 – 夜景，rendering – night view
Heatherwick Studio的获胜方案灵感源自宇宙中广泛存在的壮观螺旋形态——从星系、行星环到旋转聚集的恒星与气体云。同时，设计也借鉴了地球自然界中同样遵循数学规律的优美形态，例如植物、史前化石以及贝壳中的螺旋结构。游客中心主体由一系列管状体量构成，外覆富有肌理的石材表皮，以呼应欧拉地区独特的砂岩山地景观。该地区同时也是联合国教科文组织认定的世界遗产地。
The studio’s winning vision takes inspiration from the dramatic spiralling forms commonly observed in space – from galaxies to planetary rings and twisting collections of stars and gas – and the same beautiful, mathematical patterns that are also found on Earth in our plants, prehistoric fossils and shells. The main visitor centre is made up of a series of tubular forms, clad in textured stone that nods to the sandstone mountains of AlUla’s landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
▼效果图 – 方案灵感源自宇宙中广泛存在的壮观螺旋形态，rendering – the design takes inspiration from the dramatic spiralling forms commonly observed in space
建筑内部将设置丰富多样的展览空间，包括沉浸式展示区、画廊、天文馆、餐厅以及屋顶观景平台。与一般游客中心不同的是，建筑内还将同步开展前沿的实时科学研究。访客不仅能够参观展览，还可透过特设的参观路径，近距离了解研究人员在先进设施中进行的科学工作，从幕后视角感受科学探索的过程。
Inside, the building will include a wide variety of exhibition spaces with immersive displays and galleries, a planetarium, a restaurant and a rooftop observation deck. Uniquely for a visitor attraction of this type, pioneering, real-time research will also be taking place elsewhere in the building, with guests offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the science taking in the centre’s cutting-edge facilities.
▼效果图 – 建筑内部，rendering – interior view
建筑设计充分考虑不同光照条件下的使用需求。每个管状体量内部均整合了遮阳装置，用以控制白天的阳光照射，同时在夜间最大程度减少光污染，保护暗夜观星环境。可开启的窗户则使建筑能够根据沙漠地区不断变化的气候条件进行调节，在提升能源效率和增强建筑防护性能的同时，也为访客提供眺望周边景观及夜空的独特视角。
Designed to adapt to varying light conditions, the building will feature shading devices embedded in each of the tubes. These will manage sunlight during the day and preserve dark-sky visibility at night. Operable windows will allow the structure to respond to changing desert weather conditions, improving energy efficiency and protecting the building from the elements, while offering striking viewpoints of the surrounding landscape and the skies above.
▼效果图 – 鸟瞰，rendering – aerial view
▼效果图 – 黄昏中的沙漠景观，rendering – viewing the dessert at dusk
与游客中心相配套的总体规划还将连接周边徒步线路，并包含住宿设施、观星旅馆以及若干分布于场地中的独立观星舱，供游客沉浸式体验夜空景观。此外，游客中心附近还将建设多台世界级望远镜，为不断壮大的科学家和天文学家群体提供研究平台，使其能够充分利用这里全球最清澈、最黑暗的夜空环境，并率先观测到部分在地球其他地区尚无法看到的天体现象。AlUla Manara被设想为一个全球性的知识交流中心，为公众参与科学与天文学研究提供独一无二的机会。同时，它也将进一步提升沙特阿拉伯在全球航天与空间科学研究领域中的影响力与重要地位。
The wider masterplan, which connects with nearby hiking trails, will also include on-site accommodation, a stargazing lodge, as well as remote pods from which visitors can take in the night sky. Several new world-class telescopes will be built close to the visitor centre, allowing a growing community of scientists and astronomers the opportunity to make the most of some of the clearest and darkest skies in the world and observe certain celestial phenomena before they can be seen anywhere else on Earth. AlUla Manara is imagined as a global centre for knowledge exchange and a one-of-akind opportunity for public engagement with science and astronomy, while contributing to Saudi Arabia’s growing significance in the world of space research.
