Re: New building options - feedback request from facilities NOT located on ground floor/basement

Posted by Timothy Feinstein on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/New-building-options-feedback-request-from-facilities-NOT-located-on-ground-floor-basement-tp3889815p3889890.html

Hi Adrian,

You might want to consider the possibility of flooding.  My experience
probably makes me a bit jaded, having rescued a confocal from indoor rain
twice while studying for my doctorate, but it strikes me as an issues that
could affect on which floor to situate a facility.  Even given that newer
buildings should have fewer problems (in theory at least...), when below
ground level you can not control the integrity of nearby water mains.

More experienced microscopists can better say whether this issue comes up
often enough to affect your planning.

Good luck and all the best,


Tim Feinstein
University of Pittsburgh

> Hi all,
>
> The University with which we are affiliated is currently planning a
> large new research building which will incorporate an (optical)
> cellular imaging facility.
>
> The design brief expressed a preference for a ground floor/basement
> location for the imaging facility but the current plans have the
> facility located on the 4th floor.
>
> The plan is that the facility will house a mixture of optical
> microscopes, ie confocal, multiphoton, widefield etc, and (by the time
> the facility is built), super-resolution.
>
> (At this stage there is also plenty of room for future expansion/new
> technologies)
>
> I'm interested to hear experiences/feedback from people about just how
> important it is to have such a facility on the ground floor/basement -
> ie just how much is that a consideration in a new, purpose-built
> building? I know of many places (here included) where advanced
> microscopes are NOT on the ground floor but I'm keen to hear if there
> are locations where that has been a failure or there have been
> unexpected complications etc.
>
> All feedback gratefully received.
>
> Regards,
>
> Adrian Smith
> Centenary Institute, Australia
>