The Clark Construction/Gilford Corporation Joint Venture was the General Contractor for the construction of the Advanced Measurement Laboratory (AML), one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world. This 536,507 sf facility allows NIST to provide U.S. industry and science with improved measurements and standards. It features stringent controls on particulate matter, temperature, vibration and humidity that were unattainable in previous NIST buildings. Such conditions are vital for housing the agency’s most advanced metrology, physics, chemistry, electronics, engineering and materials science research, and enables NIST to keep pace with rapid developments in semiconductors, industrial robots, computers, pharmaceuticals and emerging technologies requiring molecular and atomic-level precision.
The AML consists of five sections: two single-floor metrology laboratory sections below ground with 151 modules (for improved vibration isolation and temperature control), two single-floor instrument laboratory sections above ground with 187 modules, and one clean room wing above ground. Specialty areas include 48 precision temperature control laboratories (with temperature control ranging from +/-0.1 degrees Celsius to +/-0.01 degrees Celsius) and 27 extremely low-vibration laboratories.
Characteristics that are uniform throughout the facility include: strict laboratory air cleanliness assured by HEPA filtration; a baseline temperature control of +/-0.25 degree Celsius; mechanical, electrical, and structural systems designed to minimize vibration; and a power system rated for critical electronic loads and power “cleanliness”. Mechanical services as well as laboratory support equipment are provided through service corridors located between laboratory modules to maximize flexibility and cleanliness. Natural daylighting, energy conservation, and recycling are incorporated into the “green” building design and operations.
picture from https://www.clarkconstruction.com/
