Reflector Supporting Structural System of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST)
Structural Designer
Beijing Institute of Architectural Design
Client Name
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Location
Pingtang County, China
LATTICED COLUMNS AND COMPRESSION RING TRUSS
Jiang Su Huning Steel Mechanism CO., Ltd
CABLE NET
Liuzhou OVM Machinery Co. Ltd
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The world’s largest single-aperture telescope. The active reflector system of FAST is a 500m aperture and 300m radius spherical crown composed of its primary supporting structure, actuator, backing structure and reflector panels. FAST was assembled in a mountainous region with complicated terrain and is also the largest space structure ever to have been built.
Judge's comment:
Building the world’s largest space frame structure in a remote, mountainous region is truly impressive feat. The judges were impressed by the construction challenges overcome to install a pair of 500m diameter compression rings on columns varying in height by 50m and then accurately placing 6,670 steel cables to form a geodesic triangular grid. A remarkable engineering accomplishment.