Masterplan and Design of Marcus Nanotechnology Building

Georgia Tech’s world-leading nanotech facility is underpinned by flexible, collaborative spaces and light-filled labs

The Marcus Nanotechnology Building is a 190,000sq ft research complex on the Atlanta campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. WSP developed the masterplan and design for three levels of laboratories – nano-bio devices, nano-physical devices and nano-materials – as well as an imaging and characterization suite. Three floors of new laboratories and support areas for the Institute for Electronics & Nanotechnology (IEN) have been constructed in the existing laboratory wing, an open, light-filled space connected to the clean room wing via a central gallery.

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Client

Georgia Institute of Technology

Architect

Abbie Gregg, Inc (AGI), Colin Gordon Associates

Project Status

Completed in 2016

Flexibility and adaptability were the guiding themes, both for the building and the design approach. “We provided the client with numerous sketches that showed different combinations of laboratories and other areas,” says Handan Nazli, vice president and director of architecture in WSP’s specialist science and technology design practice. “They liked how flexible the design was. It helped them visualize their needs and understand the capacity of the space.”

Typical open lab with flexible adaptable casework and fume Hoods

The complex accommodates researchers, graduate students, industry partners and state-of-the-art scientific tools, all under one roof. To cater for their varying requirements, WSP designed each level of the building in zones, with graduate workstations, private enclosed offices and open labs stacked throughout the building. “Once we established how many graduate students and faculty they had and how many lab benches they needed, the sky was the limit for how to utilize the space,” Nazli says. “Flexibility and space-sharing help them address future trends and challenges – those are the most important components of a research space.”

Imaging showing the open lab with write up area

The project was one of the first on the campus to use adaptable metal casework systems. The modules are connected to ceiling service panels that provide power, gases and compressed air for the lab benches. This upgrade from the more traditional fixed casework used elsewhere on the campus ensures that labs will have the capacity to meet the Institute’s research needs well into the future.

Open lab collaboration zone and graduate student work area

The lower level of the building houses the Microscopy & Characterization Facility, which has been measured as the most stable lab yet tested in multiple surveys. The suite includes transmission electron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes and scanning probe microscopes that are ultra-sensitive to electromagnetic interference and vibration. To inform the positioning of each instrument, WSP and its project partners carried out a survey in order to understand how vibrations and emissions from the building’s mechanical room might affect them. Meanwhile, to fulfill requirements for air dispersion while minimizing turbulence and noise – electron microscopy can be skewed by even a gentle draft – WSP specified innovative fabric DuctSox rather than traditional metal ductwork.

The mission of the IEN is to foster interdisciplinary and translational research, develop partnerships with organizations of many kinds, and provide thought leadership for this emerging field, so it is essential that its space can support working relationships. Responding to this, WSP has created a laboratory environment that facilitates interaction and collaboration, providing a home for research groups that were previously located throughout multiple buildings. Nazli’s team organized personnel flows to encourage chance encounters, and included glass marker boards and partitions to remove visible barriers: “The building is beautiful, with transparent curtain walls,” she explains. “We wanted to maximize transparency and give everyone access to views and daylight.”