Monolith

The competition focused on the mountain town of Roccascalegna located in Abruzzo, eastern Italy. The brief called for the introduction of “observatory houses,” within which visitors could study the night sky. The proposal chose as its starting point the monolith, an ancient symobol of astrological worship which remains relevant today though contemporary sci-fi culture. Each of the programmatic elements were scattered across the hillside with the main accommodation buried underground. Inside each of the monoliths is a chamber dedicated to cosmological study. A rectangular oculus punctures the upper surface of the volume providing a window to the sky which continuously changes as the earth rotates. In addition to the primary rectangular oculus each monolith will also be punctured with a secondary moon oculus opening. The window will frame the moon in its course once per year for a matter of minutes. The experience of awaiting the moons arrival at a selected moment in time is inspired by neolithic ritual in which communities would celebrate the arrival of certain stars or equinox and solstice events.