We worked on it over the summer. I was only present virtually, giving my feedback from Delft. I am very happy with the design, and frankly cannot wait to walk into this lab! Wilson Architects already had experience in low temperature lab design from working with researchers in my field at several universities. I want to thank their design team, as well as Pitt project managers and all the experts they invited. The technical drawings are highly detailed, since we nailed down the position of each power outlet and each pumping line. Here is a conceptual layout (you can click on the image to see it better):
I especially like that this big lab will remain one open space, with glass walls inside. This could become a new word in cryogenic lab design. Dilution fridges are unpleasant to be around all day because they buzz and humm. In addition to separating the pumps into an isolated room, I decided to put workstations for taking data behind a glass wall. This way students can see the fridges, but not hear them. It works for us because we do not need to touch fridges for hours when things are running smoothly. I will not start with four dilution fridges though, the lab is planned for future expansion. I am shopping for two fridges now, this should let us hit the ground running.
spin and coffee 