ASTRO WORLD EXHIBITION AND PLANETARIUM

Abstract

This work has proposed the development of Astro World Exhibition and Planetarium center at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For this work, three case studies related to astronomical center were analysed. Based on the analysed case studies, for the planetarium center, the estimated gross floor area of the building is 8304 m2. This planetarium center is comprised of few zone, which are administration, exhibition, public zone, educational zone, IMAX theatre, and planetarium zone. Furthermore, in this work, two sites were proposed for constructing the planetarium center. Site evaluation analysis was carried out to determine the most suitable site. Few criteria's were evaluated, which are location, accessibility, shape, area, connectivity, land use, and orientation. Based on the result of the site evaluation analysis, site 1 attained the highest score of 55, compared to site 2 with evaluation score of 25. Thus, site 1 was selected as the proposed development site. In terms of architectural concept, the planetarium center was designed based on black hole concept. The Astro World Exhibition and Planetarium Center is expected to contribute to the local community in terms research in the field of astronomy in Saudi Arabia and to produce a nation that is well versed in the field of astronomy and space studies.