Custom designed and built by Bryan Cogdell and Naval Architect Rupert Lyle of Lyle Design, the first building is commercial-grade on a metal frame with SteelMaster R model roof on a roll-off system, built to exceed local weather and wind loads. The building location, along with pier and wall height considerations allow most telescopes to see to within 10 degrees of the horizon, which is exceptional for a roll-off building.
The building was designed to eliminate concerns and challenges with overhead clearance and telescope park position. The arch roof clears the telescope in any position so that interference with roof closure is not possible.
The observatory can accommodate an instrument as large as a 24” PlaneWave CDK system on an Alt-Az mount, or a 20” telescope on a German Equatorial Mount. We provide a generous 7.5 foot diameter for each pier in the shared roll-off.
Thermal Considerations
The observatory is built in the middle of a flat grass field on a raised subfloor for ideal local thermal conditions. There is no concrete slab. The isolated concrete pier bases are surrounded by only by a grade beam to support the foundation. The building is air conditioned on hot summer days to minimize the telescopes’ thermal acclimation time at night.