heatherwick studio plans otherworldly observatory for dark-sky tourism in saudi desert

a desert observatory near alula

In the remote desert of north-west Saudi Arabia, near the ancient city of AlUla, Heatherwick Studio’s AlUla Manara rises from the open ground as a cluster of stone-clad tubes turned toward the sky.

The visitor center and masterplan have been designed for a newly designated Dark Sky Park in the region, where the night landscape allows astronomy, tourism, and research to meet under unusually clear conditions.

Commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla following an international design competition, the project introduces a destination for astrotourism and celestial research beside one of Saudi Arabia’s most archaeologically charged landscapes.

AlUla is already known for sandstone mountains, ancient settlement patterns, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra, while Manara adds another kind of reading to the terrain, one that looks upward as much as across the desert floor.

tubular forms turn toward the sky

With its AlUla Manara project, the team at Heatherwick Studio draws the building from spiraling geometries found in space and in natural formations on earth, from galaxies and planetary rings to shells and fossils. The main structure brings together a series of tubular forms clad in textured stone, a material language that picks up the tones and surfaces of AlUla’s sandstone landscape without copying it too directly.

The composition gathers around three interlocking telescope-like formations, each one angled upward to frame the sky and pull daylight into the building. The otherworldly form feels geological from a distance, then more mechanical up close, as if a group of observatory instruments has been enlarged into architecture.

science, exhibitions, and observation

Inside the visitor center, Heatherwick Studio plans exhibition spaces, immersive displays, galleries, a planetarium, a restaurant, and a rooftop observation deck. The building also brings research into view, allowing guests to glimpse scientific work taking place in the center’s facilities rather than separating public experience from technical study.

Stuart Wood, Executive Partner and Group Leader at Heatherwick Studio, describes the project as a way to bring visitors closer to astronomy.

‘We saw an opportunity to dissolve those barriers and create a place where visitors can step inside the wonder of the cosmos,’ he explains, ‘an environment that is both immersive and inspiring, standing alongside the most advanced science of our time.’

designing for desert light

The architecture responds to the extreme shift between desert daylight and dark-sky observation. Shading devices are embedded within each tube to control solar exposure during the day and preserve visibility at night, while operable windows allow the building to adjust to changing weather and reduce energy demand.

Across the wider masterplan, AlUla Manara will connect with nearby hiking trails and introduce accommodation, a stargazing lodge, and remote pods for visitors spending the night in the landscape. Several telescopes are planned close to the center, and will give scientists and astronomers access to some of the clearest skies in the region.

project info:

project name: AlUla Manara
design: Heatherwick Studio | @officialheatherwickstudio
location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia
client: Royal Commission for AlUla