Team :

GALCZYNSKI + Farmer Payne Architects 

Project Role :

Project Co-Founder, Lead Designer, Construction Documents, Project Manager, & Interior Design.

Location :

Jackson, WY

Completion  :

June 1st, 2024

Program :

Astronomy Observatory & Planetarium (4,500 sq ft)

Environmental Integrity :

- Astronomy Interpretation strengthens community respect and understanding of the natural world.

- Staggered stud assembly to as Thermal Break and Acoustic Retention.

- White Roof Membrane minimizes solar absorption and decreases A/C usage.

- Selecting Interior Finishes with Environmental Policies.

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Concept: Snow King Observatory was created and designed to elevate the historically disregarded observatory aesthetic in an effort to maximize public astronomy and dark-sky preservation in Jackson, WY. A vertical language drives many design concepts in celebration of the night sky. In contrast, a horizontal roof plane serves as a spatial gradient between indoor and outdoor space. Extensive observatory research was done with the help of Astronomer Samuel Singer, Director of Wyoming Stargazing.

History

The Snow King Observatory was conceived in 2014 by Astronomer Dr. Samuel Singer. One year later, Samuel unexpectedly met Jakub Galczynski at a Silicon Couloir Meeting in Jackson, WY. Sharing a mutual fascination for nature observation, the two began a nearly decade-long friendship and collaboration in designing Snow King Observatory.

Max C Chapman Jr, CEO of Snow King Mountain Resort, approached Dr. Singer to integrate the observatory into the resort’s future Master Plan. Chapman’s personal interest and numerous design decisions resulted in the success of Snow King Observatory.

The 2015 Observatory design was roughly 1,000 square feet. After the Town of Jackson approved Snow King’s Master Plan in 2021, the building expanded to include a stargazing rooftop and planetarium. The items where proposed by Dr. Singer to promote day time visitation and address cloudy skies. After Galczynski relocated to Ketchum, ID to work with Farmer Payne Architects, he transitioned to an independent role, leading Snow King Observatory project development in research, design, and construction documents.

After nearly a century of efforts, Snow King Observatory and Planetarium opened on June 1, 2024. The grand opening featured a notable keynote address by science educator Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy.’

Image Below : 2015 Snow King Mountain Observatory Proposal.

Snow King Observatory made possible by Max C Chapman Jr

Project Design

Project Founder : Samuel Singer, Wyoming Stargazing

Project Co-Founder & Design Lead : Jakub Galczynski, GALCZYNSKI

Executive Architect : Jamie Farmer AIA, Farmer Payne Architects

General Contractor, Superintendent : Chris Lamorena – Ormond Builders

Structural Engineer : Jeffrey Hobson PE, Tectonic Design

Telescope Systems : Paul Gardner – Observatory Systems

MEP : Joe Serre PE, Charlie Joy PE, Sami Sanderson EIT, Katie Sanderson EIT – Energy1

Civil Engineer : Dave Dufault PE – Nelson Engineering

Project Construction

General Manager : Ryan Stanley – Snow King Mountain Resort

Construction Manager : Jeff Golightly – Snow King Mountain Resort

Telescope : Cameron Vittiglio and Josh Person – Planewave Telescope

Dome : Ash Dome

Planetarium : Design Engineer Chris Wright – SPITZ

Seating : Shannon Jeffries – Sedia Systems

Acoustics : Nate Meyer and Jazlyn Ibarra – Akouo Acoustics

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