Arup to design enclosure for world’s largest optical telescope

Arup has been commissioned by the European Organisation for Astronomical Research [ESO] in the Southern Hemisphere, to undertake the preliminary design for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) enclosure. Arup’s movable structures team will coordinate the design of the enclosure systems, structure and mechanisms for the 90 meter rotating dome and retractable doors that will house the world's largest optical telescope.

The work forms part of ESO's eight year project to develop a research telescope that is more than four times larger than current large optical telescopes and at least one hundred times (two orders of magnitude) more powerful than the Hubble telescope.

Arup’s Project Director, John Lyle says, “We are particularly pleased to be part of this significant project. It follows the previous Extremely Large Telescope concept studies that we have undertaken and will use Arup’s retractable roof, wind and seismic engineering design expertise to deliver a unique telescope enclosure."

"The sheer scale of this movable structure combined with the challenging environmental conditions of a high altitude site requires some novel technical solutions," Lyle continues. "The E-ELT project will provide astronomers with a state of the art 42m diameter telescope that will be used to investigate the detailed characteristics of planets such as the ‘earth like’ Gliese 581 c planet, recently discovered by ESO.”

“The E-ELT project will provide astronomers with a state of the art 42m diameter telescope that will be used to investigate the detailed characteristics of planets such as the ‘earth like’ Gliese 581 c planet, recently discovered by ESO.”

Jason Spyromilio of ESO said: “ELT's are considered worldwide as one of the highest priorities in ground-based astronomy. They will vastly advance astrophysical knowledge, allowing detailed studies of subjects including planets around other stars and super-massive black holes. In fact, such telescopes may eventually revolutionise our perception of the Universe as much as Galileo’s telescope did.”

“We are very pleased to have reached this milestone with Arup and look forward to seeing the designs realised over the coming years".

ELTs will vastly advance astrophysical knowledge, allowing detailed studies of subjects including the first objects in the Universe and super-massive black holes.