Brookhaven National Laboratory Invests $81 Million for Construction of Center for Functional Nanomaterials

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Construction has begun on an $81 million nanoscale research center in Long Island at Brookhaven, New York. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) first unveiled plans for the project in 2002. Located on the grounds of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the 94,500 square-foot research building will be formally known as the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) when it opens in 2007.

The CFN is one of five the DOE is planning to build across the country. The agency is building the research facilities to develop nanotechnologies for a variety of reasons to serve the country, including bioterror detection and fuel cells that could help reduce dependence on foreign oil.

The center will contain six laboratory clusters and will provide access to beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source. Its scientific program will be organized into five scientific thrust areas, aligned along specific functional materials, with a sixth thrust area in applications of these materials.

HDR Architecture, Incorporated (Alexandria, Virginia) designed the CFN, which will be located on a nine-acre site. The building will have a metal and glass exterior and it will be filled with state-of-the-art equipment, including both electron microscopy and lithography-based fabrication facilities. Cleanroom capacity in the center will vary from Class 10 to 10,000. Capable of housing up to 150 people, the CFN was designed as a "green," or energy efficient and environmentally friendly building, based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system.

The E. W. Howell Company of Woodbury, New York is serving as the construction manager for the project. Although a ceremonial groundbreaking was held in spring of this year, actual construction did not begin until October and it is due to be completed in early 2007.

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