Contract awarded for completion of PSF
George Grant, Grant Construction; Larry Swartz, Lydig; and Mike Weis, PNSO manager; watch as Laboratory Director Mike Kluse signs PNNL's largest construction contract.
Laboratory Director Mike Kluse recently signed a $106 million contract to complete construction of the Physical Sciences Facility—the single largest contract ever awarded in PNNL's 43-year history.
The joint venture between Lydig Construction Inc., Spokane, and George A. Grant Inc., Richland, was awarded the contract. The team mobilizes at PNNL in July.
Lydig/Grant will complete work started last August on the nearly 200,000-square-foot PSF.
The Physical Sciences Facility comprises three main buildings including Radiation Detection, Materials Science & Technology and Ultra-Trace, as well as a high-bay for research, a laboratory located 40 feet below the surface, and a radiation portal monitoring test track. Construction will be complete in 2010, and the facility will house 450 staff who support national security and energy research missions. Research conducted in the PSF is focused on the development of:
- Tools and methods for detecting and characterizing radionuclides as part of efforts to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
- Unique materials used in advanced energy systems
- Chemistry and processing for use in basic radiochemistry research, closing nuclear fuel cycles, and for detecting nuclear proliferation
- Advances in radiation detection methods for identifying weapons of mass destruction and terrorist activities, and in support of treaties and agreements.
"These new facilities will strengthen the Office of Science's capabilities at PNNL to deliver results from research programs in basic energy sciences, biological and environmental sciences, and computational science," said Mike Weis, Pacific Northwest Site Office Manager. "This project will contribute to the nation's research needs in energy security, national security and environmental restoration."