UW Quantum-Nanotechnology Centre | 20 m | 5 fl

[Spokes]

UW Quantum-Nanotechnology Centre
Contractor: Aecon Group Inc. (http://www.aecon.com/Home.aspx)
Architects: KPMB (http://www.kpmbarchitects.com/index.asp?navid=30&fid1=&fid2=40&fid3=13&minyearx=2011&maxyearx=2012#desc)
Webcams: Biology 2 (http://plantoperations.uwaterloo.ca/construction/webcam.php?cameraID=QNC1) & Earth Sciences & Chemistry (http://plantoperations.uwaterloo.ca/construction/webcam.php?cameraID=QNC2)
285,000 s.f.

http://www.iqc.ca/institute/qnc/map2.png (http://www.iqc.ca/institute/expansion.php)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke1FTFrX6jI

[Spokes]

Recapping
Completion of Quantum-Nano Centre Set for September 2010
By Bahman Hadji

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/photos/2007s-4/QNC.jpg

Despite recent rumours regarding the delays the project has encountered, construction will finally begin for the preparation of the Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) this October. The building will be the new home of the Nanotechnology Engineering undergraduate program as well as cutting-edge research on nanotechnology, biology, and chemistry, in addition to physics in conjunction with the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). The massive eight-storey building, which will contain 261,000 gross square feet of space, will be the new centerpiece of the University of Waterloo campus, being situated north of the Biology 2 building (B2), and its net assignable space will be equally shared between Nanotechnology and the IQC. It is being designed by two architecture firms: HDR Architecture, which is designing all of the building’s labs, and KPMB Architects, which is designing the rest of the building. The project is expected to cost in excess of 100 million dollars, and construction of the building should take two and a half years, with the target completion date being September of 2010.

The first phase of construction will be to extend the service tunnel underground from the Student Life Centre (SLC) to B2. Service tunnels connect all of the buildings on campus to the centralized heating plant at the Central Services building, and the one at the southeast end of the SLC was built in a way to allow a future extension. The extension will require the patio of the Bombshelter outside the SLC to be dug and replaced with a hole five to six metres deep, below the storm drain. Once the tunnel is built, the hole will be filled back in, and the patio should be available for use at the beginning of the Spring 2008 term. The schedule was planned this way to minimize the disturbance to student life and make sure that patio season at the on-campus pub was not interrupted.

Aside from the tunnel extension, other preparatory work will be done at the future site of the building atop the B2 green, mostly to reroute underground pipes and take soil samples. The actual groundbreaking and primary construction for the QNC will begin in March of 2008, when a hole about 10 metres deep spanning the footprint of the building will be dug, extending through the aquifer until hitting the solid ground underneath. The reason for the foundation of the building being so deep is that the QNC has to be extremely stable to allow for the type of scientific research taking place to be possible. As such, the QNC will have the lowest electromagnetic interference and physical vibrations of any building on campus. Because the foundation is so deep and groundwater is relatively close to the surface at the site, during construction, and indeed after the building is built, pumps will have to be run at all times to keep water from seeping in.

The QNC will extend from the edge of B2 north to the patio of the SLC, and go from just east of Ring Road west to the Peter Russell Rock Garden. It will be connected by two overhead links on the second floor to the southwest corner of the Math and Computers building and the east side of B2. The structure will have a large concourse and mezzanine level underground, on top of which two distinct towers will be built, about equal in space. The south tower will be the taller of the two, seven storeys above ground in an approximately square shape, and will house the nanotechnology research and undergraduate program. The north tower, the new home of the IQC, will be rectangular and thus narrower but longer than the south tower, while containing five storeys above ground. A large atrium is also planned for the ground floor, extending all the way up between the two towers, while the IQC will also have a large multi-use seminar facility coming out towards Ring Road from the base of the north tower, which can also be used by the University with minimal impact on the IQC due to the availability of a separate reception area. An IQC Museum is also planned at the ground floor entrance of the north tower. Embracing environmentally-friendly architecture, KPMB is hoping to have green roofs for the seminar facility and the roof of the second floor around the base of the south tower. The design also calls for a narrow courtyard to be located on the eastern half of the space between B2 and the QNC, as well as landscaping on the west side of the QNC along Ring Road.

The underground concourse will contain a metrology lab, which will contain expensive equipment for making precise measurements to be used for physics, biology, and nanotechnology research. There will be a large, two-storey clean room at the ground level in the southwest corner of the QNC above the metrology lab. The Nanotechnology Engineering undergraduate program will reside on the first and second floors of the south tower, which will contain labs, lecture halls, tutorial rooms, as well as study rooms. The third, fourth, and fifth floors of the south tower will be used for nanotechnology research.

The top floor of the north tower as well as the top two floors of the south tower will be used exclusively for mechanical and infrastructure support for the QNC. A large number of fume hoods, which limit people’s exposure to hazardous fumes generated in the labs, will be present in the building and will require numerous fans, which will be installed on these floors. A large diesel generator will be present on the top floor of the north tower, ready to power the life safety requirements and key research equipment of the entire building, because parts of the QNC cannot afford to ever lose power for more than a few seconds. Not only will years of research be dependent on the constant presence of power, but the costs of restarting the clean room would be enormous. For example, because the particle count of the clean room has to be kept at extremely low figures, the interruption of the ventilation system for mere moments could be disastrous. If the particle count were to spike, it would take up to a year to get the numbers back down to an acceptable level. As well, some of the labs used for nanotechnology and biology research will contain materials and organisms that need to be constantly stored in freezers at -40ºC.

The original plans called for the groundbreaking of the building to take place this past March with the preparatory work beginning last October. The year-long delay of the project has been mostly attributed to some technical difficulties and redesigns of such a massive structure. However, the building should be ready to be used by the time the second class of Nanotechnology Engineering students reaches fourth year.

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/?module=displaystory&story_id=3041&format=html (http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/?module=displaystory&story_id=3041&format=html)



Big hopes for science of the tiny at new Quantum-Nano Centre

June 10, 2008
Raveena Aulakh
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO - The science of the very small got a big boost yesterday. The first heap of earth for the $160-million Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre was dug by Premier Dalton McGuinty at the University of Waterloo.

"The centre will help bring the best minds to study small things and produce big results," said McGuinty, who also announced $18 million for research equipment for the Institute of Quantum Computing.

UW president and vice-chancellor David Johnston was on hand, along with Research In Motion founder and co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis and his wife Ophelia, who donated $50 million.

The Quantum-Nano Centre will be home to the Institute of Quantum Computing and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

It's the first of its kind in the world, bringing research into quantum computing and nano-technology under one roof. The former deals with super-fast computers, the latter with molecule-sized machines in every possible field. Quantum computing research will be aimed at developing faster, more efficient computers with components so tiny that they can't be seen by the human eye.

Research will make it possible to build "computers which are so much powerful than we can imagine," said Raymond Laflamme, director of the Institute for Quantum Computing.

Combine this with nanotechnology and the research could lead to revolutionary new optics, computer encryption and treatments for diseases, among other things.

McGuinty said he was confident that the "discoveries made here will be products that Ontario can sell to the entire world."

About 200 researchers each in the fields of quantum computing and nano-technology, as well as graduate and undergraduate students will work at the centre.

"It's having quantum computing and nano-technology under one roof that makes this centre truly unique," Laflamme said.

While the centre has created a buzz in scientific circles, the building itself is also creating waves. At 250,000 square feet -- almost as big at UW's Davis Centre -- it will be five storeys high, with two atriums and a green roof. It's designed to reduce vibration and electromagnetic interference.

Billed as the most sophisticated building on campus, it was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) of Toronto with laboratory specialists HDR Architecture Inc.

In addition to a $50 million donation from Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis, the province has contributed $50 million. The building is expected to be ready by 2011, Johnston said.

raulakh@therecord.com

http://news.therecord.com/article/364519 (http://news.therecord.com/article/364519)



Quantum-Nano Centre Construction Underway
By Om Patange

It all began a few years ago as a dream to advance the human condition by breaking down barriers and allowing thoughts to flow freely. It has been manifested today as a big, gaping hole in the middle of campus.

You may have seen the construction site for the Quantum-Nano Centre. It is situated perfectly to block your path from SLC to the engineering buildings. After contemplating how much of an inconvenience this is, you might wonder what exactly is going on in the construction site.

The $160+ million QNC will house the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology with around 400 academics in total. Already the work of researchers at IQC has attracted Nobel Prize Laureate Sir Anthony Leggett to become a visiting faculty member at UW.

To accommodate the interdisciplinary research of these two institutes, the QNC will have to be a very complex building. A state-of-the-art metrology suite and clean room will occupy the basement of the building. This implies very rigorous construction standards. For example, the ventilation ducts cannot have any dust settle in them, as is normally accepted during construction.

A feature you might see before this term is over is the pouring of the concrete for this basement lab. As Scott Nicoll, Special Projects and Facilities Manager for the Faculty of Science, explained, a major consideration for the basement is the vibrational stability of the floor. Many of the instruments are very sensitive to even the slightest vibration as they have probes situated mere nanometers from the sample of interest. If there is even a slight wobble in the final concrete floor, it might have to be torn out and redone.

Currently, the entire construction site sits on a water table, which is being drained to stabilize the construction site. You may have seen the very deep holes being dug for the wells for this purpose. Naturally, adding more water to this picture is dangerous, even disastrous. The heavy rainfalls of the September 14th weekend led to flooding of the MC basement from the construction site. Investigations are ongoing as to how exactly this could have happened. In the meantime FirstOnSite Restoration was contracted to clean up the flood and minimize the damage.

Once construction crews had �dewatered� the soil using the wells and started digging the main pit, wooden cribbing and diagonal braces were placed around the perimeter of the site in order to prevent the collapse of the construction site.

The excavation of the pit itself is a complex choreography of construction phases which normally occur in succession. This is being done in an effort to expedite the construction process, which is expected to take nearly three years. At the same time as the digging of the main pit continues, crews are rerouting vital pipelines that ferry steam, water and sewage to the central heating facility (the big chimney). In fact, the Bomber patio was torn out and rebuilt in the summer to lay an extension of a pipeline from the SLC that will link up with a pipeline at B2. These pipelines are the main reason why the pit is much bigger than the actual footprint of the building � and the reason why so many walkways have been consumed by the great chasm. The excavation will continue to twice the depth it already is. The plan is to finish excavation and lay the foundations and first slab of the basement before the winter frost sets in.

A major challenge they are facing is the pedestrian traffic at the entrance to the construction site. Nicoll stresses that it is no longer acceptable to walk around this part of campus with our �heads in the clouds� for the sake of our own safety. At any given time there are large dump trucks loaded with soil and rocks coming and going from the construction site. On top of that, there are cars zipping by on Ring Road. Even a moment of absent minded walking could cause serious accidents. The message is simple, �Be careful.�

Another exciting bit of information that Nicoll mentioned is that a camera will be mounted on the roof of MC to record the activities and progress of the construction. The video feed may or may not be made public. At the end, a video will be composed by stitching together frames from the entire construction process. A second camera will be mounted on top of B2 once the IQC portion of the building becomes so tall that it obstructs the line of site of the MC camera.

The Quantum-Nano Centre is going to be a jewel in Waterloo�s crown when it is complete. Nicoll explains that its position at the centre of campus is metaphorical to its function in bringing together the minds from the various disciplines on campus. It will connect, at the very least, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering in a fantastic dance towards the future of mankind. Sure, walkways being blocked is an inconvenience now, but this is a small price to pay for the advancement of the human condition.

To see the architects� renditions of the building visit: http://www.kpmbarchitects.com and search for University of Waterloo Quantum-Nanotechnology Centre.

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/?module=displaystory&story_id=3830&format=html (http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/?module=displaystory&story_id=3830&format=html)

[Spokes]

Recapping
McGuinty impressed by new Waterloo innovative research centre

August 26, 2009
By Luisa D’Amato, Record staff

WATERLOO — Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty walked into a half-finished building at the University of Waterloo that’s being built to avoid vibrations and dust particles.

So sensitive is the research into quantum computing and nanotechnology in this new $200-million building that the floors of certain laboratories have to be suspended from above. The concrete supports are extra thick and rigid to withstand vibrations.

Certain rooms have to be clear of disabling dust particles. And the electrical system of each lab will be isolated from all the others to stop a power surge in one from affecting another.

This is what the science of the future requires, and McGuinty praised the project Monday as “exactly the kind of thing that Ontarians are looking for.

“We’re going to create new knowledge here,” he said.

The seven-storey building and equipment, to open in spring 2011, is funded by, among others: Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis, who gave $101 million for quantum computing; the province for $75 million; and the federal government for $29 million.

It will house the Institute for Quantum Computing — the biggest centre of its kind in the world — and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, the largest nanotechnology engineering program in Canada.

Both disciplines are considered to be the leading edge of the technological change in the 21st century.

Nanotechnology is the science of the very small, foreseeing the day when, for example, medication could be delivered precisely to individual cells of the body.

By 2015, it’s estimated the world market for nano-enabled products will be $2 trillion, said Arthur Carty, the institute’s executive director.

Meanwhile, quantum computing foresees infinitely more powerful and secure information processing than we have now. It’s a discipline said to be at the crossroads of physics, mathematics, philosophy, computer science and engineering.

McGuinty asked questions and listened to academics, construction officials and university president David Johnston describe the progress of the building and the possibilities of the technology.

“Everybody looks the same!” he joked, alluding to the sea of goggles, hard hats and safety vests around him as he walked through the site.

ldamato@therecord.com

http://news.therecord.com/article/590215 (http://news.therecord.com/article/590215)



The next big (very small) thing

The most sophisticated building on Waterloo’s main campus will be, appropriately, a crucible for research in areas of knowledge predicted to shape the 21st century: quantum information and nanotechnology.

Quantum information exploits the behaviour of matter at the level of the atom, where classical laws of physics do not apply. Ultimately, this research will produce vastly more powerful computers, more sensitive measuring instruments, and unbreakable data encryption — just for starters. Nanotechnology deals with the fabrication and behaviour of materials, devices, and systems the size of atoms or molecules, bringing innovations such as cell-targeting drugs, powerful thin-film batteries, and printable flexible electronics.

The seven-storey, 284,000-square-foot Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) broke ground in 2008; completion is expected in 2011. It will house the Institute for Quantum Computing — one of the world’s top three centres of quantum information research, with a projected roster of more than 200 researchers. It will also include the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, a growing locus of nano-scale research, and Canada’s largest nanotechnology undergraduate degree program.

QNC will be the only research space anywhere that bridges the quantum and nano worlds. Hundreds of mathematicians, computer scientists, chemists, physicists, and engineers will have opportunities to mingle and collaborate. The building was designed specifically to encourage idea-sparking interaction, and not only in the six-storey atrium’s colloquium space. Hallways and other areas will include back-painted glass whiteboards, for capturing spontaneous ideas.

The building features a 10,000-square-foot clean room with state-of-the-art fabrication facilities for quantum and nano devices, advanced teaching and research labs, office space for faculty and grad students, and seminar rooms. To protect tiny particles from vibration and electromagnetic radiation, labs are built below grade on heavy steel floors supported by one-storey trusses. The honeycomb-like steel lattice on the exterior will also reduce vibration.

Funding for the $160-million project designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects comes from a personal donation from Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis, from Industry Canada’s Economic Action Plan, from the Province of Ontario, and from the University of Waterloo.

http://uwaterloo.ca/profiles/profile.php?id=141 (http://uwaterloo.ca/profiles/profile.php?id=141)

[RangersFan]

Pictures taken by me today Jan 24,2010
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC1.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC2.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC3.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC4.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC5.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

February 9, 2010

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-February92009.jpg

[RangersFan]

Pictures from today Feb 21,2010
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC6.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC7.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC8.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC9.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC10.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC11.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC12.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC13.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC14.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/QNC15.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

Uptown View - March 6, 2010

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UptownWaterloo-March62010-3a.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

March 11, 2010

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-1b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-2b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-3.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-4a.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-4b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-5a.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-5b.jpg

Different Types of Glass
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-8c.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-9.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-10b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-11.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-12.jpg

Bridge To Math Building
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-13.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-March112010-14.jpg

[van Hemessen]

April 7th:

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/w-van/SNV31379Stitch.jpg

Two windows are broken. Can you find them?

[DKsan]

At first I thought the glass on the building was really ugly. But then it was a sunny day and that glass was just shimmering! Once complete, this is going to be a great addition to campus.

[UWaterloo]

Great photos. The building is coming along well.

[diego]

Not the latest shot but a different point of view (from St. Paul's College):

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/diegoalm/CIMG8594.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

van Hemessen, I tried to zoom in on the image but couldn't spot the two broken windows, any help/clues?

diego, by any chance was there a date stamp on that photo? Or do u remember which week/month it was taken? If not it's alright, just I'm thinking later on (and not exclusively for this project), we might add new features like a photo slideshow and with dates I can somewhat put them in order.

Thanks for the photos, I enjoy the variety!

[diego]

van Hemessen, I tried to zoom in on the image but couldn't spot the two broken windows, any help/clues?

diego, by any chance was there a date stamp on that photo? Or do u remember which week/month it was taken? If not it's alright, just I'm thinking later on (and not exclusively for this project), we might add new features like a photo slideshow and with dates I can somewhat put them in order.

Thanks for the photos, I enjoy the variety!

Yeah, it's from March 26th.

[UrbanWaterloo]

April 14, 2010

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010--2.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010--1.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-Fro.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-1.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-2a.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-2b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-3b.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-4.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-5.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-6.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-7c.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April142010-8b.jpg

[Spokes]

Thanks for all these great pictures! And all of the other projects too!

[UrbanWaterloo]

April 27, 2010

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-2.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-3.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-4.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-6.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-7.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/UW%20Quantum-Nanotechnology%20Centre/UWQuantumNanoCentre-April272010-9.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

UW Daily Bulletin - April 30, 2010
http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/2010/apr/30fr.html

http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/images/2010/0430cranes.jpg

Multiple cranes have been on duty at the Quantum-Nano Centre construction site for the past couple of days. The "tower crane" that sat literally atop the building is gone, lifted away by the temporary giant crane featured in the photo (above) by a staff member identified just as "Ben". It's the same apparatus (or its twin brother) that put the tower crane in place in January 2009. "The remaining tower will be completely removed by the end of the day Friday," says Byron Murdock of plant operations. "It is a bit of an exercise as there is a crane that is used to build the crane that is used to disassemble the tower crane. The large 500-ton crane currently towering over the site will also be used to lift the exhaust fans to the high roof area."

While it was on site, crews used it to hoist some heavy equipment, including electrical apparatus, onto the QNC's roof, says Daniel Parent, co-director of the plant operations department.

[UrbanWaterloo]

UW Daily Bulletin - May 12, 2010
http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/2010/may/12we.html

http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/images/2010/0430qnc.jpg

'Many of my friends,' says Ken Ip of the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program, "thought the photo was taken somewhere downtown, Toronto, or even Montréal. In fact, this is our new nano building, taken at nighttime from the Bomber patio."

[UrbanWaterloo]

June 14, 2010

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-1-1.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-2-1.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-3-1.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-4-1.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-5-1.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/UrbanWaterloo/Waterloo/UW/UWQuantumNanoCentre-June142010-6-1.jpg

[van Hemessen]

I notice they replaced the broken glass panels:cool:

[RangersFan]

july 11, 2010
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/nano.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/nano2.jpg

[RangersFan]

Sept 15, 2010
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/NanoSept1520101.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/NanoSept1520102.jpg
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac273/leaffan431/University%20of%20Waterloo/NanoSept1520103.jpg

[Spokes]

Thanks for these shots RangersFan. And all the others too!

This project looks fantastic. Can't wait to see it totally finished

[markster]

November 9, 2010

As seen from Engineering 6, 3rd floor
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/Markster3000/Buildings/DSCF2484Medium.jpg

From Math Building entryway
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/Markster3000/Buildings/DSCF2490Medium.jpg

The canyon between the MC and QN
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/Markster3000/Buildings/DSCF2492Medium.jpg

Just a little cladding left to go.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/Markster3000/Buildings/DSCF2501Medium.jpg

It can be difficult to take a picture of. The mirror finish means that the sun is often shining at you, no matter where you stand.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/Markster3000/Buildings/DSCF2497Medium.jpg

[.FLH.]

Pics taken with a Samsung Impact Phone:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c11/GobiCanuck/Photo0047.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c11/GobiCanuck/Photo0046.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c11/GobiCanuck/Photo0045.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c11/GobiCanuck/Photo0048.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c11/GobiCanuck/Photo0044.jpg

[Spokes]

Thanks for the pics!! And Welcome to Wonderful Waterloo!

[UrbanWaterloo]

December 26, 2010

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20December%2026,%202010%20-%201a%20Resized.jpg

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20December%2026,%202010%20-%202%20Resized.jpg

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20December%2026,%202010%20-%203b%20Resized.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

February 23, 2011

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20February%2023,%202011%20-%201%20Resized.jpg

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20February%2023,%202011%20-%203b%20Resized.jpg

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20February%2023,%202011%20-%205a%20Resized.jpg

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20February%2023,%202011%20-%206%20Resized.jpg

[UrbanWaterloo]

May 4, 2011

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20May%204,%202011%20-%201%20Resized.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20May%204,%202011%20-%202%20Resized.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20May%204,%202011%20-%203%20Resized.jpg

[Osiris]

Ugh.

This would've been a gem in the R&T park, or even on the East Campus; here it looks like a behemoth and makes the rest of the campus look REAL dated. Plus I can't help to feel uneasy every time I walk by it, with it looming over me.

[markster]

Gotta love how there's been no visible progress since Dec 26th.

[plam]

Ugh.

This would've been a gem in the R&T park, or even on the East Campus; here it looks like a behemoth and makes the rest of the campus look REAL dated. Plus I can't help to feel uneasy every time I walk by it, with it looming over me.

A location in the R&T park would make it really difficult to collaborate with people in other departments. That would have been a huge mistake in terms of getting good research done.

[Osiris]

I wasn't speaking to the practicality of it; I can appreciate why it's located where it is.

But considering some effort was put into making the building visually interesting, it's a pity that it can't be viewed by those passing the campus. Or - since the location is such a necessity (as is its size), they spend the time/money/effort into integrating it better into the landscape. Unless this is just the beginning of a redesign of the core (I remember seeing some concepts of a larger SLC as I was graduating a few years back; I think they've since planned on moving that space down to the new Student Services building by South Campus...)

[IEFBR14]

no visible progress since Dec 26th.
How would you know? http://www.phpbbcommunities.com/images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif

[markster]

How would you know? http://www.phpbbcommunities.com/images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif



December 26, 2010
http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20December%2026,%202010%20-%203b%20Resized.jpg



May 4, 2011
http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20May%204,%202011%20-%203%20Resized.jpg

I'm sure there's lots of fitup work going on inside, but the external situation has been very static.

[IEFBR14]

I think you missed my feeble attempt at humour. How can you tell with an institute dedicated to Quantum Physics and Nanotechnology research if you can't know the former and you can't see the latter?

[WaterlooNative]

I wasn't speaking to the practicality of it; I can appreciate why it's located where it is.

But considering some effort was put into making the building visually interesting, it's a pity that it can't be viewed by those passing the campus. Or - since the location is such a necessity (as is its size), they spend the time/money/effort into integrating it better into the landscape. Unless this is just the beginning of a redesign of the core (I remember seeing some concepts of a larger SLC as I was graduating a few years back; I think they've since planned on moving that space down to the new Student Services building by South Campus...)

The problem with putting a building on campus is that everyone wants to be at the centre. When the campus was first built, everyone wanted their building/office to be close to the bookstore and the library, both of which were initially in Engineering 1/DWE, and later South Campus and the Dana Porter Library.

I agree wholeheartedly that this project is a massive missed opportunity for campus. Given how much money was spent on the building, it could have been a wonderful keystone for a campus expansion, to the north, south or east. Instead, it gets shoehorned into one of the green spaces left on campus. Campus planners continually forget the original campus master plan and the importance of space within a campus. Yes, I agree that everyone needs to collaborate and in theory walk across the hall or to the next building to work together, but unless the IQC folks do something revolutionary with transporter beams and space portals, people will always have to walk from one place to another. Even then, how many people will simply use the 19th Century telephone and the 20th Century instant messaging for a lot of their collaboration?

Given that many of the campus buildings are coming up on the end of their design lives (consider the dramatic plan to all but demolish Engineering 1 and then rebuild around the frame), the IQC building could have been something great. Instead, it is something massively out of scale. Who knew that there was a building out there that could make the Math and Computer building look small? I think one of the biggest crimes is that another landmark building (the MC building) is being hidden from a key vantage point.

Additionally, the campus is quickly becoming unwalkable for anyone not familiar with it. What use is a campus if it simply a hodgepodge maze of buildings instead of something cohesive?

I understand that the mantra is "density, density, density", but I would wonder what would happen if someone suggested that Parliament Hill would look good if we filled in that green space that really, when you think about it, is a wasted opportunity. Ditto all those pesky quadrangles in Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard etc. Or, if you want a Canadian unversity example, what about the Front Campus and Back Campus of the University of Toronto, or that big green space in front of University College at the University of Western Ontario? Fill them up!

[IEFBR14]

no visible progress since Dec 26th.
I was on campus a couple of hours ago and saw lots of activity at the building site. It wasn't clear what the workers were doing, probably interior work.

It's an impressive building to be sure. But as someone who still remembers the Dana Porter library when the cake had only three layers and was there when M&C was first opened, I too lament the choice of location for QNT.

[UWaterloo]

Thanks for the photo updates. Looking good. Hope they kept the vagina fountain in that little park-ette between it and the Math building. LOL It'll be weird seeing this building as I was so used to that huge green where students would play.......mind you, to be honest I prefer the campus with a denser feel. Even though I know I'd be hung for such comments being a ES student. Oh well...too bad, so sad as they say. I like densification .... whether that happens at UW campus or Downtown Kitchener matters not - its generally a good thing.

[DKsan]

As a UW ENV student as well, I agree with you.

It's just that we do need large spaces for campus activities. AKA Orientation Week.

[KevinL]

Hope they kept the vagina fountain in that little park-ette between it and the Math building.

The fountain is fine, as it's more between Math and Chemistry. The rock garden was the more exposed area, and indeed is now directly adjacent to the back of QN.

[van Hemessen]

The rock garden/vagina (ahem...dinosaur egg) fountain area actually has a pretty cool atmosphere now that it's framed on all sides by QN/MC/Chem/Bio. It feels like a real academic quad finally. We need more of those on campus.

[UWaterloo]

Thanks for the update guys. I used to do much of my readings in that park-ette during the warmer days. And DKsan...I agree re. the need for open space during orientation. Hopefully that field near the Villages will remain open space for a long time. I have many memories of activities on that green - concerts and greased watermelon football (not one of my finer hours. LOL) but I think as its on a low lying area - it should be ok. The plaza in front of the library also has lots of potential....haven't been back since they re-did it back in 2007. Time for a visit back to Waterloo I think....lots of changes in the last couple years.

[loafer]

I'll be touring the interior of the building on monday if anyone has any requests!

[KevinL]

I'll be touring the interior of the building on monday if anyone has any requests!

Photos, of course, if that's allowed.

[IEFBR14]

any requests
I'd like some nanobots to clean my toilet ;)

[DKsan]

According to the UW Twitter account:

Hello! @WINano (http://twitter.com/WINano) tells me: “Construction on the QNC building will be complete at the end of the summer 2011. Commissioning will take several months and occupation will not begin until January 2012”

[The_Architect]

I'm hoping they patch up the random hole in the back of the building soon, it bugs me to no end..
(If you are walking to/from MC going towards the Biology buildings, you know which one I mean)

[M____J1]

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/227/quant1.jpg (http://img220.imageshack.us/i/quant1.jpg/)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3316/quant2.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/quant2.jpg/)
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/3223/quant3.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/i/quant3.jpg/)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4109/quant4.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/quant4.jpg/)

Presuming this is for the QNC...wish they had gone with a vault inside the building given the location of this right next to the entrance of Bio 2.
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6245/quant5.jpg (http://img143.imageshack.us/i/quant5.jpg/)

[KevinL]

Presuming this is for the QNC...wish they had gone with a vault inside the building given the location of this right next to the entrance of Bio 2.
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6245/quant5.jpg (http://img143.imageshack.us/i/quant5.jpg/)

There's no excuse for such a simple fence on a campus this urban. Surely a bit of cash could be reserved for a more photogenic enclosure?

[markster]

I had long assumed that generator was temporary, and just there for the construction.
I still hold out hope.

[M____J1]

I had long assumed that generator was temporary, and just there for the construction.
I still hold out hope.

It's a switch and transformer.

[markster]

It's a switch and transformer.Heh, I apologize for being a CS major, and not an Engineer.

[RyHam]

Walking by that switch yesterday, I noticed that the barbed wire is electrified. Nice touch for a university campus.

[boatracer]

Walking by that switch yesterday, I noticed that the barbed wire is electrified. Nice touch for a university campus.

That should be impossible as all fencing around electrical equipment must be grounded.

[UWaterloo]

Look forward to photo updates on this project - minus the switch and transformer thingy in its current state.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Sure is taking awhile, construction fencing is still up...

February 20, 2012

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%201%20R.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%202%20R.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%204%20R.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%205%20R.jpg

http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%206%20R.jpg

[markster]

Jan 2011:

http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20December%2026,%202010%20-%203b%20Resized.jpg



Feb 2012:
http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/wdrive/Developments/Waterloo/UW/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre/UW%20Quantum%20Nano%20Centre%20-%20Feburary%2020,%202012-%205%20R.jpg

The difference?

the sidewalk is now open!

[DKsan]

QNC is never going to be finished. @UWaterloo's Twitter account gave me an update recently. Apparently it's going to be open by September 2012 now.

I'm sorry, but this is a shit show. They're off their construction deadline by a few years, and they had the benefit of this winter not being crap.

[BuildingScout]

I understand there are some problems with financing. Don't know the details though.

[Osiris]

QNC is never going to be finished. @UWaterloo's Twitter account gave me an update recently. Apparently it's going to be open by September 2012 now.

I'm sorry, but this is a shit show. They're off their construction deadline by a few years, and they had the benefit of this winter not being crap.

Did it take the delay to turn you off on it?

I was never on. The thing it hideous and a blight on the campus. The other buildings look either outdated or miniscule as a result, and whenever I walk on campus I can't shake the feeling that I'm being lorded over by some stale remnant misplaced by future time travelers.

Unfortunately one ground in the hole too many for UW's aggressive growth plan.

[mpd618]

On the other hand, the bike racks being installed around it are the best I've seen in the city. Doesn't really affect the rest of it, but hey.

[WaterlooBandR]

I understand there are some problems with financing. Don't know the details though.

There is nothing wrong with financing. Mike Lazaridis and the Government of Canada have both provided funding up-front.

The biggest delays have been in finishing the building due to the complexity of it.

Aside from personal feelings of aesthetics, this building is incredibly complex and one of the most unique in the world for what it does.

There are 3 separate foundations (IQC, Nano and a 10,000sq/ft. Cleanroom facility) along with some incredible vibration dampening systems. For example, the large pipes to move various liquids through the building come up through each floor but they are attached by a spring system so that if something happens (e.g. some kind of knockback that causes it to shake) the floor won't start shaking.

This was utterly important for the scientists whose experiments take hours to calibrate, and re-calibrate if even a mild tremor happens.

During construction there were also build change orders which ended up increasing the amount of time it has taken.

We should start seeing traction this summer. WIN (the part beside Biology) will be open in September and will be hosting classes. IQC and the Cleanroom facility will be outfitted this summer. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at the end of September to officially open the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum Nano Centre.

[BuildingScout]

There is nothing wrong with financing. Mike Lazaridis and the Government of Canada have both provided funding up-front.

In place financing doesn't take care of cost overruns.

[loafer]

Article from Last Summer

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/2011/07/06/quantum-nano-centre-sneak-peek/

Photos of the inside from the Summer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loafer/sets/72157626960024937