Delivering low-vibration environments in laboratory structural design

Demand for scientific laboratories and research facilities has led to many new buildings being designed now or recently completed. These laboratories support fields of research including laser-based work, physics, life science and materials science. The equipment and processes used in laboratories often work at very fine 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.