History :
Snow King Mountain Observatory is the vision of Astronomer Dr. Samuel Singer, created in 2014. When Dr. Singer met Jakub Galczynski in 2015, the two partnered to design Snow King Mountain Observatory of Jackson Wyoming. Dr. Singer would spend years promoting this work through his non-profit Wyoming Stargazing. In parallel, Galczynski worked on several design schemes and studied observatory construction methods best suited for Snow King Observatory. The project was presented at public events at Grand Teton National Park, Rendezvous Park, Center for the Arts, Snow King Mountain Resort, Town of Jackson, and etc. In 2021, the Town of Jackson approved Snow King's Master Plan which included the Snow King Observatory. At the time, Galczynski worked for Farmer Payne Architects. Shortly after the project was contracted, Galczynski separated from the team. He would go on to design, draft, and manage the Construction Documents for Snow King Mountain Observatory. He was later asked to lead the Interior Design and Curate the associated exhibits.
2015 - 2021 Design Team :
Project Founder, Astronomer : Dr.Samuel Singer , Wyoming Stargazing
Project Co-Founder : Designer Jakub Galczynski
2021 - 2023 . Design Development - Construction Documents :
Owner : Max Chapman , Snow King Mountain Resort
General Manager & Constrcution Managment : Ryan Stanley, Snow King Mountain Resort
Architect : Jamie Farmer AIA , Farmer Payne Architects
Project Design, Construction Documents, Project Manager, and Interior Design : GAŁCZYNSKI
Structural Engineer : Jeffrey Hobson PE , Tectonic Design
MEP : Joe Serre PE, Charlie Joy PE, Sami Sanderson EIT, Katie Sanderson EIT, Energy-1
Civil Engineer : Dave Dufault PE , Nelson Engineering
SKMR Master Plan : Benno Nager , Alpine Resort Consulting
Construction & Equipment Design Team :
General Contractor : Chris Lamorena , Greg Hostert , Ormond Builders
Planetarium : Chris Wright , SPITZ Planetarium
Telescope : Planewave Telescope
One Big Environmental Initiative :
Context :
Snow King Mountain Observatory was designed to disappear. People have told me that the building is difficult to locate and that is humorously intentional. This is not a small building, but if you stand at the base of the hill the roof line remains hidden. The building became concerningly tall when the Planetarium was incorporated, but Galczynski didn't want it to ever 'feel' tall. Galczynski didn't want the mass to overpower the hill. First, he elongated the roof to have it read as a horizontal plane. Secondly, Galczynski decided to design an embedded roof deck, unique to the building, that would prevent the building from being much taller.
Text . GAŁCZYNSKI, LLC ©