Dark skies through a gap in the trees - the Kielder advantage

The low tech observatory nearing completion.

ARCHITECTS leapt at the chance to design a small building hidden away in the wilds of Northumberland, miles from anywhere.

Nearly 230 sent in proposals, including 60 from overseas. Twenty came from the United States alone and the farthest afield was based in Australia.

Astronomer Gary Fildes with the 14in. telescope observatory's small turret.

Why so much interest? Because it was a rare chance to work on something that doesn't come up every week. The competition was to design an astronomical observatory in a clearing in the forest, on a high hillside overlooking Kielder Water, the least light-polluted area in England.

Charles Barclay, whose London practice designed the winning entry, is more used to domestic work and office refurbishment.

He explained why he was one of the 228. "For architects, designing an observatory has a special draw, because is is a technical building but one with poetic associations.

"The building has a particular function, but there is an opportunity to create something expressive, with a special relation to the cosmos."

The observatory was commissioned by the Kielder Partnership, which is formed of all the agencies and local organisations which have an interest in the area of the sprawling, sparsely-populated Kielder Forest and its man-made reservoir.

Peter Sharpe, the partnership's arts curator, said: "It was such an unusual opportunity - observatories don't pop up very often. And it was in a location like this, with trees for 20 miles around and views for 30 miles."

And, of course, it was an opportunity to make a mark in a competition organised jointly with the Royal Institute of British Architects and for a location already on the architectural map. Sharpe had been keen to draw up the design brief in a way which made clear what the building would have to do but left as open as possible the way in which it would do it.

"I tried to develop the brief in the same way as I would for an artist, giving the architect as much leeway as possible."

Barclay said: "The partnership did a fantastic brief and when we looked at it we knew it was a good competition to enter. The partnership has a good reputation for its architectural work and it is a tremendous site."

He worked from the idea of the astronomers being able to see nothing but stars above them, as though from the deck of a ship on a moonless night. So the structure looks like a seaside pier, with strong legs rising from the sloping hillside.

Two observation turrets, sheltering the telescopes, are almost cubes, rather than domes, but can swivel in any direction. Between them is an open observation deck. The smaller rear turret houses a 14-inch Meade telescope and the larger but lower turret at the front of the building shelters a manually-operated Pulsar 20-inch telescope.

The observatory is for amateur astronomers and will carry out research and outreach work. It will be run by the newly-formed Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society, which wants to encourage amateur astronomy, one of the few sciences where non-professionals can make a contribution.

They agreed that Barclay's scheme was a workable winner. Gary Fildes, a founder member of the society, said: "It is our aim that everyone who visits the observatory will benefit in one way or another, whether it be the curious child who observes the sun for the first time or a retired miner who discovers the rings of Saturn for himself.

"Whatever the background of the visitor we are sure this facility will deliver a special message to all."

Barclay said: "We wanted a low-tech building, without shiny new materials, because we wanted it to seem accessible to ordinary people and to inspire them to create their own observatories at home or school." Timber was an obvious choice for the building, but the wood of Kielder Forest was unsuitable, so more durable larch from the Baltic countries and Douglas fir from the USA was used instead.

The result is an approachable, warm-looking and highly appropriate building for the landscape, lying low on its site, pointing over the water far below towards a great bowl of southern sky above a low horizon.

The observatory's close neighbour is another building for watchers of the sky. Skyspace, a third of a mile away, is one of a number of similar structures designed by the American artist James Turell which seem to bring the sky down to meet the observer.

And the observatory is only the latest in a series of up to a dozen art and architecture projects by international artists, some of which have made it despite the blasts of the art critics on Tynedale Council's planning committee.

They include Mirage, by Japanese artist Kisa Kawakami, 500 pairs of polished steel discs which reflect the changing landscape. Kawkami created it as a resting and meditation place, but one councillor described it as "the world's biggest bird scarer."

Wave Chamber works as a camera obscura, projecting the image of the water on the floor of the chamber. Inside, the walls echo the wave sounds and the floor appears to become liquid.

The Kielder Belvedere, a shelter designed by Softroom Architects, won many awards. Its face of curved stainless steel also reflects its surroundings while the interior window frames the lakeside vista perfectly.

Sharpe said the programme was conceived in the early 1990s ago when lottery and arts council money became available. The idea was to encourage visitors interested in the visual arts to visit Kielder and stay, spend more money and boost the local economy.

The Kielder Partnership started planning the observatory project in 1993 because of the area's dark skies and was now looking into the possibility of winning a special status so that the brightest lights over the water after sundown will always remain the stars and the moon.

DENIS INCH
denis@whooshbooks.com