Producing nano-sized beams needs long beamlines, which at the ESRF will reach 120 metres and in some cases even 250 metres. A combination of extended experimental hall buildings along with satellite buildings for very long beamlines will address this need. Particular care and effort is being put into the design of the concrete slab to host new beamlines as its vibrational stability is key to the beamlines meeting their design performance. Space will also be reserved for some new laboratories and user support facilities.

Sustainable development is a major consideration in the design of the building extensions. The best proposal from an international architect competition held in 2008 was updated and refined during most of 2009, and a contract for the prime contractorship (maîtrise d’oeuvre) for the building extensions awarded in October of that year.

The civil construction work must interfere as little as possible with user operations which rely on beamtime often scheduled months ahead. The detailed design, scheduling and tendering of construction work packages will therefore require most of the year 2010, in view actual construction work to begin  in mid 2011.

The ESRF and the ILL occupy a joint site which has not seen major improvements since many years. This will change as in 2008, French regional and local authorities agreed to make available 18 million Euros to build a new site entrance with a visitors’ centre, to extend the staff restaurant and to build a new goods logistics platform. A large new science building will make available 3500 sqm to host future scientific partnerships and joint projects with research institutes and universities.

Artist’s impression of the ESRF in 2011 (Image credit: ESRF/Sud Architectes; view larger image).