The Center requires the use of hazardous chemicals and gases, many of which are toxic, so the building is designed to handle these substances in a safe manner. The facility provides for containment in the event of an accidental spill and all piping is monitored for leaks. Safety systems are developed so that neither the occupants nor the community are endangered by any accidents or systems failures.

The building addresses a variety of environmental research areas such as pyrogen-free and particle-free class 10,000, 1,000, and 100 rooms. These environments are designed to provide precise temperature, humidity, and pressure control systems developed to provide static-free environments. A water treatment facility is required in order to provide de-ionized and high purity water for laboratories.

The Center and similar facilities for the microelectronics and semiconductor industry share a common building characteristic: they operate 24 hours a day, although they are not occupied at all times. It was therefore important to develop an operational program for all building systems to automatically shift into an economic operation mode during hours the building is unoccupied.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of New Mexico
Owner Contact:		Roger Lujan, Director of Facility Planning
Building Location:		Albuquerque, NM UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		High-Tech Education and Research
Project Delivery Method:		Design/Build
Project Timeline		May 1993 Planning Start Jul 1993 Design Start Jan 1996 Construction Start Apr 1997 Completion Last known status: Completed
Construction Cost:		$9,673,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$162
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Cleanroom Education Education: Administration Education: Classroom Education: Faculty Office Laboratory: Dry Laboratory: R&D Laboratory: Teaching Research
Total GSF:		59,649
Total NSF:		52,317
Efficiency:		60%
Building Population:		126
People Density:		473 gsf/person
Building Services:		RF isolation and static-free environments, DI and high-purity water, LN2, N2, process chilled H20, chemical waste neutralization, FRP process exhaust
Office Size:		11' x 13' NSF
Power Req:		Connected load: 69 watts/gsf, Demand: 55 watts/gsf
HVAC Req:		2.72 cfm/nsf
Structure/Foundation:		Shallow continuous and spot footings, special slab and subgrade preparation in vibration-sensitive cleanrooms and lab spaces.
Laboratory Parameters
Lab Module:		25' x 22'
Casework Mat'l:		Steel casework with epoxy resin tops
Fume Hoods:		18: 5'
Project Team
Architect		Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK)
Profile Created 04/01/1997
Last Updated 04/04/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.