The Earth and Planetary Sciences Department in Hogan Hall was renovated to address limited laboratory and research space. Providing 8,000 sf across multiple floors, the facility has labs for sedimentary geochemistry, aqueous geochemistry, Quaternary sediment analysis, organic geochemistry, stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), radiogenic isotope geochemistry (TIMS), geobiology and microbial culturing, and high-pressure, high-temperature mineral physics, along with a comprehensive rock and core preparation facility.
Our team also demolished and restructured multiple existing labs to create a new Analytical Facility for Interdisciplinary Research in Earth and Planetary Sciences. These include labs for mineral physics, organic geochemistry, and sedimentary and aqueous geochemistry.
Seamless Construction Requires Campus Coordination
- Our project team managed two shifts to work around the university schedule and to minimize interruptions during major MEP upgrades.
- We communicated with equipment manufacturers in Germany to ensure seamless integration into the new radiogenic isotope clean lab. Fiberglass doors and frames were installed as part of the non-ferrous surface materials for the lab.
- Hogan Hall remained operational and followed the typical class schedule throughout the construction of the new labs. Students were on floors directly above and below the construction zone.
- We coordinated utility shutdowns to minimize the impact on building operations while expanding service for compressed gas, nitrogen, natural gas, chilled water and steam to the new labs. New electrical service supports the updated infrastructure of the labs.
A Mock-up of Equipment Saves Time and Money
To eliminate the time and cost impacts of opening the exterior wall to deliver new equipment, we created a mockup of the largest microscope to demonstrate that it would fit into the freight elevator and could be moved into its final location without additional demolition or delay.
