HASSEL STUDIO, FIRST
LIGHT PAVILION, JODRELL BANK, UK
Designed by Hassell Studio, a multidisciplinary
firm set up in Australia in 1938 with offices in major capitals around the
world, First Light Pavilion showcases the history and discoveries of Jodrell
Bank, the oldest existing radio astronomy observatory located in the north of
England encompassing over 50 years of intergalactic history. Seamlessly knit
into the landscape, the pavilion looks like a grassy mound that fits very
neatly into the UNESCO World Heritage site. The building techniques employed have
optimised the pavilion’s heat/energy efficiency.
The
slender concrete dome, designed in partnership with the engineering firm One,
was developed with the aim of minimising the use of materials. Soil removed
during building work and stored on neighbouring land was later reused to create
its green cladding .
The
inside of the pavilion, designed in conjunction with the Casson Mann, opens
onto a circular exhibition space and auditorium, offering an accessible educational
experience to the local community. In particular, Casson Mann designed the
exhibition fabric using the Lovell telescope’s cladding, giving visitors the
chance to come into contact with a metal parabola that has 'looked' into
heavens and actually been touched by cosmic rays and 'space dust'.
The circular sequence
of parabolas around which the building was designed retraces both the history
of Jodrell’s scientific team here on Earth and the cosmic realms Jodrell Bank
has revealed to humanity. Archive documents and animations bring to life the
story of this group of scientists who, out in the Cheshire countryside, have discovered
some extraordinary phenomena beyond the scope of human vision.
Client: University of Manchester; Location: Macclesfield, UK; Sustainability Ratings: BREEAM Very Good (achieved); Collaborators: Casson Mann; Design team: Julian Gitsham, Gary Collins, Adam Atraktzi, Oliver Kampshoff, Sarah Willats, Clive Lewis, Kaja Swiezewska, Trang Dao, David Brown. Photography: Hufton and Crow
