GW University to Install New Custom Lab Benches

WASHINGTON — George Washington (GW) University in Washington, D.C., will soon feature custom laboratory bench systems in its new Science and Engineering Hall.

De Pere, Wis.-based Hamilton Scientific (along with the company’s dealer, Dancker, Sellew & Douglas) was selected for the interior laboratory equipment and casework project because it met the school’s design criteria for product intent, project scope and budgetary requirements.

For the past two years, Hamilton Scientific engineers worked closely with Philadelphia-based Ballinger, the architecture and engineering firm working on the project, to develop a solution that adheres to the school’s green building initiative for the project. The eight-floor, 500,000-square-foot project is being built to LEED Silver standards and will include 2,000 of the custom table-based laboratory benches.

The benches will be constructed as pre-wired and pre-piped benches that are equipped with interchangeable components and plug-and-play utilities with interfacing capabilities. Plus, the product includes 168 energy-efficient Hamilton Scientific Pioneer Fume Hoods, Hamilton Scientific steel laboratory casework, and Epoxy work surfaces, sinks and pegboards.

The new Science and Engineering Hall will bring the science courses in the university’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences under one roof, doubling the amount of space currently available at both locations.

One of the biggest highlights of the new Science and Engineering Hall is the three-story high-bay facility, one of the building’s five core research facilities. It will feature a high ceiling in an open space, a strong floor and wall that can withstand the testing of materials against intense vertical and horizontal loads, a dedicated loading dock and a crane capable of carrying 20 tons of material. With these capabilities, GW engineers would be able to construct safe and earthquake-resistant bridges and buildings, as well as accommodate the needs of aerospace engineers who require high ceilings to study fluid dynamics in nuclear reactors. By having the space and technologies to allow for this kind of scientific research, the university will have more opportunities to qualify for grant work.

Construction on the $275 million building broke ground in October 2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2015. It is the most expensive property in the university’s history.