Mace is set to work on a facility near Oxford that will house the world’s most powerful laser.
Under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Mace will lead a team to expand and partially refurbish the Central Laser Facility (CLF) at Rutherford Laboratory Appleton, which is in Harwell. Science and Innovation Campus.
Mace will provide design, construction, construction, programming and urban planning services.
The CLF upgrade aims to “significantly improve” the research capabilities of the facility (pictured), the contractor said in a statement.
STFC is part of the UK non-departmental public body Research and Innovation (UKRI), which in late September awarded £85 million in funding to upgrade the CLF and build the Vulcan 20-20 laser . Construction news approached Mace to learn more about PCSA’s schedule and contract value.
UKRI described Vulcan 20-20 as “the most powerful [laser] in the world”. Its construction will help scientific research on nuclear fusion, superheated matter (plasma), new renewable energy sources and electromagnetic fields.
According to UKRI, the laser will generate a main laser beam with an output of 20 petawatts, but Vulcan 20-20 will also include eight high-energy beams with an output of up to 20 kilojoules.
Mace will lead the installation of two 7-meter high orientation bunkers, with walls and soffits up to 2 meters thick. These structures are made of a specialized mixture of radiation-resistant concrete that can shield from rays a billion times hotter than the brightest sunlight.
Mace has been working with the STFC since 2017 and provided three pioneering research facilities: the Rosalind Franklin Institute, the National Satellite Test Facility and the Extreme Photonics Applications Center.
The company will leverage the experience gained from building the Extreme Photonics Applications Center for the CLF and STFC.
The firm will also partner with the same project team: Fairhurst Design Group (architect), Glanville (civil and structural engineers), Hoare Lea (mechanical and electrical engineering), BB7 (fire engineering) and RSK (acoustic engineering).
