New facility

Nathan Dubree (njpd@gene.com)
Fri, 12 Nov 1999 14:30:45 -0800

We are currently in the planning stages for a new building which is
scheduled to contain up to two NMR instruments (300 and up to 600 MHz),
probably Varian. What sort of requirements and concerns can you
recommend for the room construction. Particularly with regards to the
structure (dimensions and materials) and services (power, lights, HVAC,
compressed air, etc.). Of particular interest would be NMR lab setup
horror stories, so that these situations could be avoided.

Schematically we've planned a 21' X 27' room on the 3rd floor of a large
building. It is bound on two sides by lab space (people, small
instruments, and chemicals), another side by offices, and the final
side is an exterior wall with windows. Above it will be the roof and
below it will be more working environment (labs and/or offices). This
location cannot be easily changed. Because of the location we will use
shielding and are considering active shielding. Is active shielding
worth the extra cost? Does it hamper the performance of the instrument?

I read through the archives and found some interesting discussions about
fire sprinklers and florescent lights, but none that addressed my
concerns directly.

I will summarize and post responses if I get enough to be of interest.

Nathan Dubree
Genentech Inc.