In the dense forest of Harestua, located 45 kilometers north of Oslo, Norway, the familiar firm Snøhetta has designed the expansion for the country's biggest astronomical facility. Originally built for the total solar eclipse in 1954, the Solobservatoriet is the largest solar observatory north of the Alps and an active research center, credited for several major advances including the spectrograph and the discovery of solar storms.

The otherworldly expansion, headed by the Nordic architecture practice, will add a planetarium to the site as well as other ambitious facilities aimed at providing travelers and students with a place to observe the world's natural wonders. 

The centerpiece of the campus, a new 16,000-square-foot planetarium, will appear as a large golden dome engraved with constellations. It is surrounded by an undulating, crater-like ring lushly planted with grass, wild heather, blueberry and lingonberry bushes. It will house an 100-seat viewing center along with a reception, café and exhibition area.

Scattered around the Planetarium, seven cabins accommodating anywhere from two to 35 people will be available to overnight guests. Each with its own unique design, the interstellar lodges appear as orbiting planets and will provide guests with uninterrupted views of the sky. 

The architects, who studied simple principles from astronomy for their design, said "the facilities capture the imagination of its visitors through an intellectual, visual and tactile journey into the realm of astronomy." An ambitious expansion, the new observatory will inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity, asking the question: "Where does the Universe come from?"