Following a detailed inspection by architectural and engineering firm Arcadis, the presence of bedrock sufficient to support a concrete remedy for the foundation of the summit facility support building has been confirmed. This applies specifically to the lower sections of the summit facility building; the telescope pier and dome lower enclosure regions were previously confirmed to be located in competent bedrock. During excavation, substantial amounts of fractured rock and clay materials were discovered in the area where the support building facilities will be constructed. These materials are insufficient for foundation support. LSST, Arcadis, and Besalco worked together to define a solution. With the suspect material now removed down to stable bedrock, Besalco will create concrete platforms from H10 concrete and compactable materials to use as the foundation support of the building columns and floors. On June 12, all parties involved confirmed the presence of bedrock sufficient to begin the concrete remedy effort.
In the photo (left to right): Jose Lagos, Arcadis chief geomechanical; Jaun Carlos Pozo, Arcadis civil engineer manager; Alvaro Chavez, chief of control of program from Besalco; Rafael Ramirez project manager from Besalco; Maximiliano Tamblay from Besalco; Jaime Seriche LSST.
Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Support Agreement No. 1202910, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515, and private funding raised by the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded Rubin Observatory Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The DOE-funded effort to build the the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an
independent federal agency created by Congress
in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
NSF and DOE will continue to support Rubin Observatory in its Operations phase. They will also provide support for scientific research with LSST data.
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