The First Light Pavilion tells the story of the Lovell Space Telescope at Manchester University’s Jodrell Bank.
The concept was to build a form which has the curvature and diameter mirroring the telescope itself, with the central dome 50m in diameter. The buried nature of the structure made it ideal for concrete construction, blending the requirement for a fully water resistant shell with slender proportions. By combining the beneficial structural effects of the dome with bending action over a central supporting wall, a 20m span was possible with only 200mm concrete thickness- a remarkable span to depth ratio of 100:1. The roof was completed in a single 12 hour pour to eliminate the need for any construction joints.
