Southampton University Constructs Nanoscale Cleanroom Facility

The University of Southampton will open the £55 million Mountbatten Building in late 2008 in Southampton, UK. Connecting on all levels to the existing Zepler Building, the interdisciplinary nanotechnology and microelectronics facility will include cleanrooms, research laboratories, and offices. Housing the School of Electronics and Computer Sciences and the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the facility will accommodate the fabrication and characterization of materials with a concentration on the structuring and modifying of materials at the nanoscale. The cleanrooms are suspended between the structural floors with accessible service spaces above and below. The construction cost is estimated at £70 million. The project contractor is Bovis Lend Lease with HVAC contractor Senior Hargreaves. The design consultant is CH2M Hill.