Argonne National Lab Plans Theory and Computing Sciences Facility

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on December 4, 2007 that a new Theory and Computing Sciences Building would be constructed at Argonne National Laboratory. The 200,000-sf research and engineering facility will house the extremely fast IBM Blue Gene/P computer and over 600 laboratory employees. Accommodating research in astrophysics, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, ecosystem simulation, and nuclear applications, the facility will collaborate with the Computation Institute, a partnership with the University of Chicago. The project also includes an 18,000-sf centralized library, computational research labs, and a conference center. The facility will be developed through a unique public-private financing and leasing agreement whereby the DOE will lease the land to the Delaware Statutory Trust. The trust will hire the design and construction team for the project.