A £7.6 million contract has been awarded to build a Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information in Bristol. The building will contain some of the ‘quietest’ labs in the world, with extremely low levels of vibrational and acoustic noise, and stringent controls on temperature and air movement.
The development, awarded by the University of Bristol to Willmott Dixon Construction, will have to meet the most detailed constraints, due to the nature of working at the nano-scale.
A distinctive characteristic of the Centre will be its interdisciplinarity, bringing together biologists, chemists, computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians and physicists, amongst others.
As well as addressing deep questions in fundamental science, the research to be carried out in the building will offer opportunities for the development of future computing, communications and health technologies, as well as advanced materials, for example for the aerospace industry.
Mike Phipps, the University’s Bursar, commented: “The design development of this building has been extremely challenging, but the result will be a truly world class experimental space for our scientists to work in. Sitting on solid rock, the location provides us with a unique site to build on. The design of the foundation will allow us to dampen out even the minutest of vibrations from the surrounding environment.”
He continued: “The specification for the background vibration is right on the limit of current measuring technologies worldwide, which gives you an idea of the complexity of this project.”
Professor Noah Linden, leader of the project to build the new Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information added: “This new building will be one of the finest nanoscience facilities in the world, designed to keep Bristol at the forefront of research for decades. Its purpose-designed environment will foster a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research community drawn from science, engineering, and medicine across the world, which will thrive through stimulating interactions and the exchange of ideas.”
The four-storey concrete-framed structure will be located on Tyndall Avenue, at the heart of the University’s precinct, and will link through to the existing HH Wills Physics Laboratory. Contained within the new structure will be a variety of highly specialised laboratories, together with seminar rooms, offices, clean rooms and, most importantly, interaction spaces.
Brian Drysdale, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon, added: “We are very excited to be involved in the development of such an important scientific facility in Bristol. Equally, we are proud to share the University’s vision to provide a unique, state-of-the art, facility that will attract key professorial talent and leading thinking in this field. The University has an outstanding reputation in terms of scientific advances and this new building will enable them to remain at the cutting edge.”