The University of Oregon’s newest addition is the Microanalytical facility, a nanotechnology lab located underground, but also on a mountaintop.

”There’s a mountain, essentially, under Eugene, that comes within ten feet of the surface here,” explained the director of the facility, John Donovan. “By digging down this far, and then digging further down into the mountain, we’re actually able to site this building on a very low-vibration foundation. And that gives us the ability to measure things at even finer scales than almost anyone else.”

The nanotechnology lab will be filled with ultra-sensitive equipment to aid the researchers in the production of creating highly efficient solar cells using nanoparticles. The lab was rated the second-quietest in the country.

The location of the lab was also determined by University policy mandating that the location remain a green space. Since they couldn’t build a facility above the ground, they decided to build below the ground.

Full text: kval.com