The overall design of the complex places 20 percent of the facilities
above ground and 80 percent below. The first level of the six-story equipment
tower contains the linear accelerator injection device that gives the
electrons their initial push, while the remaining five levels house power
equipment and cooling systems. The synchrotron magnet ring emerges from
the tunnel into the 10,000-square-foot experiment hall. Adjacent to the
hall is a three-story laboratory and office wing that supports work directly
related to the synchrotron. The irradiated areas in the structure’s
lowest level are the only ones that required the more expensive high-density
concrete shielding.
Results
The close collaboration between architect and scientist led to a technologically
elegant and economical design solution for a complex facility. Their
innovative use of tunneling, rather than digging and backfilling, to
create the accelerator ring kept costs down. And the placement of most
facilities underground allowed Cornell and the NSF to locate this expansive
complex among other campus buildings rather than at a remote site.
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