Georgia Tech Marcus Nanotechnology Building

The “Marcus Nanotechnology Building” or NRCB will open in the 3rd quarter of 2008. The building consists of 2 separate areas split by an expansion joint; a 2 story cleanroom, and a 5 story Lab/Office area. One of the biggest benefits of this completed project will be the additional 30,000 sf of cleanroom; however when initially opened, only 50% of this space will be built out to meet current needs. 10,000 sf will be semiconductor cleanroom space devoted to the next generation of nanoelectronic devices, while 5,000 sf will consist of biological cleanroom space. The NRCB will also have 30,000 sf of non-clean research space that will help support the cleanroom activites, and house very sensitive scanning electron microscopes.

With respect to concrete, this is a complicated job, with unusual formwork systems. 22,980 sf of the first elevated deck will consist of an open top waffle slab with a 16.5’ clear story height, while the other 19,875 sf will be a traditional beam and slab with a 20’ clear story height. Above this is about 38,500 sf of slab on metal deck. On the other side of the expansion joint, 5 elevated slabs around 11,000 sf each will be constructed of traditional beam and slab construction.

The waffle slab, designed for rigidity, will be built using fiberglass dome forms. These domes must be specifically built for this project alone and will be the formwork for the 22,980 sf of waffle slab. Concrete will be finished 2” below the top of the dome, creating multiple voids in the slab, once the forms are removed.

The waffle slab is not the only unusual feature to this building, where approximately 2700 sf of the slab on ground in the Lab/Office will be reinforced with fiberglass rebar. This area will be utilized for electromagnetic research, and the fiberglass reinforcing in the concrete will diminish magnetic fields that could disturb and distort research. Also in the lab office will be the construction of a 4 radius/ellipse like stair wall topping out at 99’ high. However before leaving the basement of lab/office and cleanroom nearly 30,000 sfca of perimeter retaining wall must be formed and poured.