Delivering low-vibration environments in laboratory structural design

Demand for scientifi c laboratories and research facilities has led to many new buildings being designed now or recently completed. These laboratories support fi elds of research including laser-based work, physics, life science and materials science. The equipment and processes used in laboratories often work at very fi ne levels of detail. As a result, they can be very sensitive to vibration – including vibration that is far below the perceptible threshold for building users. This technical article forms an introduction to this subject, includes a discussion of the main vibration issues that confront structural engineers, and explains how they can be addressed.