Nanotechnology

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) completed construction of the Micro Nano Research Facility in August of 2014. Located on the University City campus in Melbourne, the collaborative 13,000-sf facility provides Class 100 and Class 1,000 cleanrooms, a PCL-2 biocontainment lab, a sensor technology lab, offices, training suites, and conference rooms. The multidisciplinary project was designed by SKM Jacobs and built by Brookfield Multiplex.

NanoViricides has completed its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Shelton, Conn. Designed by Id3A, the renovation project created research labs, offices, and cGMP cleanroom suites for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in an existing 18,000-sf facility. MPH Engineering was the project manager and engineering consultant. Construction began on the facility in August of 2013 and validation commenced in June of 2014.

Princeton University is building the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment in Princeton, N.J. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York as three interconnected structures, the 129,000-gsf interdisciplinary facility will feature a cleanroom, teaching labs, classrooms, offices, a lecture hall, conference rooms, and low-vibration labs for nanotechnology research and imaging. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is slated for completion in 2015.

Flexibility is paramount in any research facility, but particularly in nanotechnology, which is evolving so quickly that a design can become outdated by the time construction is complete. Nanotechnology facilities also present unique requirements with their sensitive equipment and cleanrooms. Overcoming these challenges requires a robust structure and an acute understanding of how people and materials flow through the building.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology will begin construction in summer of 2015 on the $350 million MIT.nano in Cambridge. The 200,000-sf interdisciplinary project is being designed by Wilson Architects to accommodate advanced research in nanoscale materials and processes. The four-story facility will include one floor of teaching labs and two interconnected cleanroom lab floors with prototyping areas, fabrication suites, materials growth labs, and support.

The University of Chicago is building the $215 million William Eckhardt Research Center for the Institute for Molecular Engineering. The 265,000-sf facility will house the 12,000-sf Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility and laboratories for astronomy, chemistry, physics, and astrophysics. Providing integrated research offices, conference rooms, interaction space, and an atrium, the seven-story project includes two floors below grade with low-vibration cleanrooms and molecular imaging suites. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Clemson University opened the 5,000-sf Clemson Nanomaterials Center in October of 2013. Supporting interdisciplinary nanotechnology research in areas such as superconducting materials and energy generation and storage technologies, the lab provides advanced spectroscopy and microscopy equipment, an electric arc system, and chemical vapor deposition systems.

The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) broke ground on the $125 million Computer Chip Commercialization Center in June of 2013. The three-story, 200,000-sf facility will provide research laboratories, classrooms, offices, and a 50,000-sf nanotechnology cleanroom. Located in Marcy, N.Y., the facility is created in partnership with the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) and will foster collaborative research and development with industry partners.

The 183,000-sf Structural and Materials Engineering Building at UCSD houses several engineering departments, including Structural Engineering and NanoEngineering, as well as the Department of Visual Arts. Inspired by Bauhaus principles, the building's design fosters interaction between arts and engineering disciplines through gathering spaces, communal circulation, and shared computer and research laboratories. Offices are grouped around a variety of open meeting spaces to enhance collaboration while maintaining privacy.

The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research is a pioneering research facility that brings together biologists working to understand the disease at a molecular level and engineering faculty devoted to solving problems related to cancer. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the discovery of cures for cancer.

ATMI broke ground on an 118,000-sf microelectronics manufacturing facility in Suwon, South Korea, in October of 2012. The facility is located in the Korea Advanced Nano Fab Center and will begin production in mid-2013. Accommodating 100 employees, the center will produce a range of products for the semiconductor manufacturing market. 

The Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering (JSNN) opened in Greensboro, N.C., in November of 2011. The $64 million project was created collaboratively by North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The facility was built by a joint venture of Samet Corp., Barton Mallow, and SRS Inc.

The University of Minnesota broke ground on an $83 million physics and nanotechnology building in Minneapolis in October of 2011. The 60,000-sf building will house 40 laboratories for the College of Science and Engineering and a 5,000-sf cleanroom. Completion is expected in November of 2013.

The University of Rochester opened the $10 million Integrated Nanosystems Center in September of 2011 in Rochester, N.Y. Located in the basement of the existing Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics, the facility is known as URNano and provides laboratory space for research and fabrication. 

Central Manufacturing Technology Institute began construction in June of 2011 on the $28.6 million Nano Manufacturing Technology Center (NMTC) in Bangalore. Housing advanced instrumentation for micro/nano machining, the center will include the $5.6 million Advanced Nano Technology Laboratory to support research on nanomaterials, nanocharacterisation, nanofabrication, and nanometrology. The underground laboratory will feature precision controls for temperature, humidity, and air quality, as well as isolation technology for vibration mitigation.