A vibration-free nanoscience lab in the heart of a British city is being hailed as the quietest building in the world.
This highly distinctive, $21 million University of Bristol building opened on Monday and features an atrium dome that is shaped like a ‘bucky ball’, a molecular structure (resembling a football) composed entirely of carbon atoms.
Designed by Capita Architecture, the building also features self-cleaning glass and a basement that houses the ‘low noise’ area with a suite of ultra-low vibration nanoscience laboratories anchored to the rock below.
Capita Architecture’s Iain Martin said: “The NSQI is complex and beautiful, amalgamating both art and science in one harmonious composition. Although technically complex, it has exceeded expectations by becoming ‘the quietest building in the world’ in terms of vibration performance. For the scientists, it is a beautiful building for that reason alone!”
