Almost every amateur astronomer who has taken the pursuit to its second level aspires to a fixed, permanent housing for his telescope, permitting its rapid and comfortable use avoiding hours of setting-up time for each observing session. A roll-off roof observatory is the simplest and by far the most popular observatory design for today's practical astronomers. Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory is unique, covering all aspects of designing a roll-off roof observatory: planning the site, viewing requirements, conforming to by-laws, and orientation of the structure. The chapters outline step-by-step construction of a typical building. The author, both an amateur astronomer and professional landscape architect, is uniquely qualified to write this fully-detailed book. A professionally designed roll-off observatory could cost as much as $3000 just for the plans - which are provided free with Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory.

From the reviews: "The subtitle of this book-A Complete Guide for Design and Construction-perfectly describes this well-illustrated accumulation of research and personal experience. The book opens with a discussion of the pros and cons of roll-off roof and domed observatories, and there are strong points made for both types. ... The time saved researching so much information makes this an extremely valuable resource to anyone considering building their own observatory-whatever design you choose." (Mark Parrish, Sky at Night Magazine, July, 2009) "The author of this book has been selling plans and advising people on how to build roll-off-roof observatories for many years. ... He then proceeds to give detailed advice as to how to deal with everything from planning applications to the construction itself. ...Would I recommend the book? Yes." (Norman Walker, The Observatory, Vol. 129 (1211), August, 2009)

John Hicks is a Professor of Urban & Regional Planning, and also a qualified professional landscape architect. Based in Ontario, Canada, he is the principal and owner of John Hicks & Associates, Environmental Planners and Landscape Architects, Site Planning, Park Planning & Environmental Impact Assessment. He is also a long-time amateur astronomer and has had articles published in Astronomy, chapters in Dickinson & Dyer's The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, and has made contributions to various other astronomy books.