Design of the Discovery Channel Telescope enclosure

The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is a project of Lowell Observatory in conjuction with the Discovery Channel to design and construct a 4.2-meter clear aperture telescope and support facility on a site approximately 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. The site is an undisturbed mountain top at an altitude of 7800-feet. Design and construction of the telescope enclosure includes all of the site utilities, access road to the site along with the fixed base enclosure, telescope pier and rotating dome structure. The details covered in this paper are the decisions and rationale of the DCT enclosure conceptual design completed by M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation (M3).