The simple exterior of the new building for the Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand (MSL) hides a complex design and a technologically advanced laboratory.
Based at Callaghan Innovation in Gracefield, Lower Hutt, scientists and technicians from MSL’s Electrical and Temperature Standards teams will soon occupy the new purpose-built laboratory.
For MSL Director Fleur Francois, the building represents a significant investment in the provision of national measurement standards to New Zealand.
“The new building will deliver the incredibly precise environment we need to propel our technical capabilities forward,” says Fleur. “We also received funding from the Government in 2018 that has allowed us to purchase new and replacement equipment for the new laboratory to help maintain and build the capabilities we need to help New Zealand’s future competitiveness.”
The new laboratory is part of a larger programme of work upgrading and future-proofing aging research facilities at Callaghan Innovation’s site. It will provide a safe and fit-for-purpose working environment for MSL’s teams who are currently working in a building constructed during World War II.
To ensure the building would meet its specific needs, experienced MSL staff worked closely with the in-house planning team and contractors throughout all stages of work. This enabled MSL scientists and technicians to gain an intimate understanding of how the building was constructed and how it operates. This understanding will be invaluable to the MSL scientists as they start to undertake research activities in the building where minute changes in environmental conditions or electrical interference can have big impacts on experimental results.
“The laboratory design was incredibly technical as we needed to consider building materials, equipment dependencies, air conditioning requirements and much more,” says Fleur. “Within New Zealand, this physics laboratory is certainly unique.”
One of the most important components is the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The environmental conditions required by a globally recognised physics laboratory are incredibly strict, particularly in MSL’s Electrical Standards laboratory. The HVAC system has been built to maintain a temperature of 20.0 ͒C with variations of no more than 0.1 ͒C.
To help the system cope with those tight controls, the lab design team and MSL staff put a lot of thought into the ventilation system design so any heat-generating equipment does not impact any other adjacent equipment.
Other key aspects of the new building include ensuring the mains wiring doesn’t create electrical interference, anti-static flooring, and built-in separation of the steel building frame from reinforcing bars in the concrete foundation slab to avoid creating electrical loops.
There is also a section of stainless steel reinforcing in the foundation that has been specifically placed to allow MSL’s Electrical Standards team to install their Quantum Hall Resistance Standard without risking damage to the superconducting magnet that is part of this standard.
For Laurie Christian, Principal Research Scientist and one of MSL’s most long-standing physicists, the new building will mean being able to make better measurements more efficiently because the laboratory environment will no longer be a limitation.
“The old laboratory began its life in the 1940s, in the time before the measurement revolution created by the transistor and microprocessor,” says Laurie. “We were forced to modify the labs periodically but were always constrained by the basic structure and services. Having something purpose-built with the future in mind will be wonderful for present and future electrical and temperature metrologists.”
He says that it has been a fascinating experience working with the team of architects, and electrical, structural, and mechanical engineers, to get to this point. “We all had to learn each other’s way of thinking and the project managers have played a key role in enabling that.”
Following almost 20 months of construction and the interior fit-out, MSL received the keys to the building in June.
Fleur said “Taking possession of the building was a significant moment for MSL, and it marked the end of a significant amount of work by the team. Most importantly, our people will be working in a safe environment, but we are also looking forward to improved business resilience to ensure we can keep delivering for our customers.”
“We’re also looking forward to hosting visitors in the new facility and improving collaboration with our customers, stakeholders and other institutes around the world.”
The MSL team has now embarked on a move-in project that they anticipate will take the next 14 months to complete.
“The complexity of the move-in project is because we have to maintain traceability of all standards, while continuing to operate as a national metrology laboratory,” says Fleur.
Before any equipment is moved into the new building, the team will take two months to gather environmental information to understand how the building environment performs and how this will impact equipment performance.
Once this baselining work is complete, a staged move of the equipment will take place over a 12-month period, with a focus on quality and safety to ensure the new set ups are stable, operating as expected, and can be used for traceable measurements.
“The new laboratory will be a significant step forward in the race to stay ahead of industry’s increasing demands for accuracy in its measurements. Once up and running it will help us uphold and enhance New Zealand’s reputation as providing trusted, precise measurements,” says Fleur.
Whilst COVID-19 hampered plans to officially open the building on 20 May 2020, to coincide with World Metrology Day, planning is underway to welcome customers and stakeholders to the new building next year.
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To read more and view a construction time-lapse video, go to New MSL Laboratories | Measurement Standards Laboratory.
