We are proud to have worked with Kier from Stage 4-Completion on this incredible project and can’t wait to see it opening to the public on 4th of June. The First Light Pavilion is the first concrete dome building in the UK in the last 25 years. The 76m diameter manmade green hill, equal to the size of the Lovell Telescope will offer a platform for the astronomy society. Visitors to the site will be able to see fascinating archive material and experience a vivid Dome show in the custom-built auditorium. Key architectural and scientific features are that the meridian light of the main entrance marks the suns path on the exposed concrete walls and floor, acting like a sundial.

This references two key UK structures, such as Stonehenge and Newgrange, in Ireland, where the rising sun at the winter solstice shines down the passage and into the tomb chamber. Like Stonehenge, this is also part of a much wider complex of structures and alignments over the ‘Bend of the Boyne’ river UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photography Credit: Positive Image Photography

Credit: Olga Vlagkouli, jmarchitects Manchester