Geological Research Centre and Planetarium at Lonar Crater: A Low Campus That Reads the Impact Site

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This article was written by UNI Editorial and published on uni.xyz, a platform for design professionals and creative thinkers.

Q: What is "Geological Research Centre and Planetarium at Lonar Crater: A Low Campus That Reads the Impact Site" about?

This article covers topics related to Architecture, Infrastructure Design. Shreya Mahajan sets a domed planetarium and research labs low along the contours near India's only basaltic impact crater, letting the terrain lead.

Shreya Mahajan sets a domed planetarium and research labs low along the contours near India's only basaltic impact crater, letting the terrain lead.

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UNI Editorial published Review under Architecture, Infrastructure Design on Jan 17, 2026

Most planetariums want to be seen from the highway. This one wants to be read alongside a crater. Lonar was formed when a meteorite struck basaltic rock, and it remains the only crater of its kind in India, holding a saline lake, intact geomorphology and an ecology found nowhere else in the country. A building placed near something this rare has two choices: compete with it or interpret it. This proposal chooses interpretation. The dome stands for celestial bodies and for the impact that shaped the site, and the rest of the campus stays low and lets the ground do the talking.

Designed by Shreya Mahajan and published as a project on uni.xyz, the Geological Research Centre and Planetarium sits near Durga Tekadi, about 1.7 km from the crater and 1.8 km from Lonar town. The terrain is basalt left behind by ancient volcanic activity, with gentle slopes and contour shifts that keep the crater in view. The climate brings seasonal temperature extremes, moderate rainfall and groundwater conditions that need managing. Mahajan treats architecture as a way to explain the place, linking geology, astronomy and public education, and she also sees the campus as a driver of cultural and economic growth for the Lonar region.

A Slatted Vertical Marker Above a Horizontal Campus

Tapering tower clad in horizontal timber slats rising above palms and a low white wall under a blue afternoon sky

The tapering tower, wrapped in horizontal timber slats, rises above the palms and a low white boundary wall. It is the one moment where the scheme reaches upward, and the contrast is useful. The rest of the campus is low-rise, spread horizontally and aligned with the contours, so a single slender element works as a point of orientation without turning the complex into a monument. The horizontal slats also echo the ground plane the buildings follow, which keeps even the tallest gesture tied to the landscape.

This restraint is the project's main argument. Mahajan describes the institution as research-led rather than a dominant landmark, and the massing backs that up. A visitor reading the skyline from the approach sees one marker and a field of low volumes, which leaves the crater as the real spectacle.

Open Pavilions and Lawns as Public Classrooms

Perspective sketch of an open pavilion with a flat roof, long benches and timber storage boxes, with figures and bare trees beside a paved plaza

Two-storey flat-roofed blocks around a lawn with curving paths, shrubs and a few walking figures beneath a pale grey sky

The perspective sketch shows an open pavilion with a flat roof, long benches and timber storage boxes facing a paved plaza, with figures moving through and bare trees alongside. It reads as a covered gathering edge where groups can collect before entering the museum and exhibition spaces that explain the crater's formation, its ecological systems and its global scientific relevance. The benches and storage suggest a space built for school groups and visitors who need somewhere to pause, which matters on a site that draws students and tourists as well as researchers.

The second view pulls back to two-storey flat-roofed blocks set around a lawn crossed by curving paths. The master plan arranges auxiliary functions in a linear sequence around the dome, and this image shows how that works on the ground: the buildings frame open space instead of filling it, and the soft path geometry contrasts with the rectilinear blocks. Circulation stays easy to follow while sightlines across the site remain open.

The Research Centre as the Campus Backbone

Row of three white two-storey volumes with regular windows across a grass field, a slatted tower peeking out behind and people walking in front

A row of three white two-storey volumes with regular windows stands across a grass field, with the slatted tower visible behind. If the planetarium is the symbolic heart of the complex, this is its intellectual backbone: laboratories, analysis rooms and administrative spaces for studying Lonar Lake, the basalt formations and conservation strategies. The repetitive fenestration suits the programme. Labs need steady daylight and flexible floor plates, and the elevations say so directly instead of hiding behind expressive facades.

Back-of-house functions sit below the primary public levels, so the people-facing parts of the campus stay legible. Keeping service out of sight lets researchers and visitors share one landscape without constant crossovers, which is a practical but often overlooked part of mixing public outreach with scientific work.

A Pleated Dome Framed by Rough Stone

Pleated white domed pavilion framed by a rough grey stone arch, with a stepped plaza and planters in clear daylight

The final image shows the planetarium: a pleated white dome framed by a rough grey stone arch, reached across a stepped plaza lined with planters. The pairing works as a short lesson in Lonar's story. The coarse stone points to the volcanic ground, while the crisp, folded shell refers to the sky and to the impact that produced the crater. Mahajan is clear that the dome should not be an isolated icon, and the form comes from structural logic, acoustic needs and spatial clarity.

The sections back up that claim. A steel portal frame carries the dome, with secondary ring beams providing horizontal stability. Inside, acoustic panels and sound-transparent surfaces tune the theatre for projection and sound, and a stepped seating arrangement keeps sightlines clear for the immersive shows, educational programmes and public outreach the high-capacity hall is designed to host. Service floors and research spaces below support the technical demands of both the public and scientific sides of the building.

Why This Project Matters

Sites of rare natural significance often attract buildings that try to match their drama, and the landscape suffers for it. This proposal starts from the opposite position. By keeping the campus low, following the contours and saving vertical presence for a single tower and a single dome, Mahajan makes the case that a scientific institution can strengthen a fragile landscape instead of consuming it. The restrained, context-driven material approach supports the same idea.

The project's larger value lies in how it treats interpretation as a spatial task. Geology, astronomy, conservation research and public learning all have a clear place, and the dome links them through a single metaphor that also performs as a precise technical instrument. For a crater that is unique in India, a building that helps people understand why it matters may be the best protection it can get.