IDOM create plans for one of world's largest mechanical buildings

The Giant Magellan Telescope enclosure - one of the largest mechanized buildings ever constructed – has passed its final design review and is now ready for construction in Chile. A team of 10 international experts validated Tenderstream member IDOM's design as a technical and engineering feat. The 65-metre-high, 5,000-tonne dome will protect the 25.4-metre telescope, which will observe objects more than a billion light years away. Construction is currently progressing on other aspects of the telescope facility, which will provide 10 times the resolution of Hubble.

The design overcomes two key challenges in protecting its giant mirrors — extreme earthquakes and extreme weather conditions at its location at the Las Campanas Observatory in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and most seismically active regions in the world, with an average of six earthquakes every month. The enclosure provides the telescope pier with a seismic isolation system that can survive the strongest earthquake, while a robust climate control system will keep high winds and temperature changes from impacting the telescope’s advanced optical technologies, as well as mitigating the effects of daily temperature swings. The completed observatory facilities will employ energy and water efficient technologies, including a greywater treatment and recovery systems, to significantly reduce water usage.

When awarding the design contract to IDOM, Dr. Bruce Bigelow, the telescope’s site, enclosure, and facilities manager, stated: “Adding the size, functionality, and environmental conditions to the design challenge, efficient manufacturing, especially off-site and modular construction, are key aspects to making the construction of the enclosure safe, reliable, and affordable. We’re delighted to work with IDOM to make the enclosure design a reality.”

Now, with the dome design complete, a process will begin to select the company that will make its mark on the future of astronomy with the dome’s construction.

With designs approved, works are set to start on site later in 2024. 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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