The single largest contract ever awarded in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) history was signed to complete construction of the Physical Sciences Facility (PSF).

The PSF is an approximately 200,000 sq. ft. complex located on the Horn Rapids Triangle just north of the PNNL campus in Richland, Wash. It is part of PNNL's strategy for replacing nearly 500,000 sq. ft. of office and laboratory space, due to the demolition of many of the Hanford Site's 300 Area facilities.

Nearly 50 percent of PNNL's experimental lab space and $200 million in research and development projects are located in the 300 Area, which the Department of Energy has slated to be cleaned by 2012.

The new federally funded facility will consist of three main buildings, one for each of the following research capabilities: materials science and technology; radiation detection; and ultra-trace analysis. Also included is a cen�tral utility plant that will supply core utilities to the three main buildings.

Mechancial, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection shop drawings are being created using BIM software to ensure all material will fit within the space allotted.

IMAGE COURTESY OF LYDIG CONSTRUCTION CO.

Key Players

Project Name: PNNL Physical Sciences Facility
Location: Richland, Wash.
Total Construction Cost: $110 million
Construction Start Date: August 2008
Expected Completion Date: June 2010
Owner/Developer: Battelle Memorial Institute
General Contractor: Lydig/Grant, A Joint Venture
Design Firm
(Architect or Lead Engineer): Flad Architects
Design Consultants: Affiliated Engineers NW, Inc.
Subcontractor(s):American Ironworks, Apollo Sheet Metal, Berg
Electric, Bratton, Cascade Fire, Crown Corr, Culver Glass, Dan
Leslie Roofing, ISEC, Western Partitions, Wubben Bros.