MOE, Elindco and Christensen & Co Architects will be responsible for creating a new home for the Electromagnetic Test Centre at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby

DTU wishes to strengthen its position in research and testing of electromagnetic systems throughout the microwave frequency range, and will therefore create new facilities for the Electromagnetic Test Centre.

In this connection, the new building, named B357, will contain laboratories which are to be used for purposes including measurements of satellite antennas. In addition to creating a new home for DTU’s own research and teaching, the new facilities will help to increase cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), international industry and the many Danish companies in the field of wireless communications.

An interdisciplinary environment that strengthens experimental teaching
The building contains a total of four new laboratories, three anechoic laboratories for different types of antenna measurements, as well as a shielded space for measuring millimetre wave components and circuits. In addition, there will be a large educational laboratory with associated study environment. The new facilities mean that more students will be able to access the anechoic laboratories, just as it will open up more cooperation with businesses. The architecture of the building must therefore support an interdisciplinary environment among researchers, businesspeople and students, who will come to interact naturally with one another.

The building is located in the same area as the other unique research buildings within DTU Electrical Engineering’s disciplines. It will be joined by a connecting corridor to the existing test facility in B353, where the arrival area for all test objects is located.

Unique requirements and vibration-free environment
The specific nature of the building has led to a number of essential requirements in relation to the building’s façade, temperature control, foundation and vibration-free test environment, which is implemented in the architecture and functionality of the winning project. In addition, the building must be certified to DGNB gold in accordance with a customised DGNB Flex-matrix adapted to the nature of the building.

An experienced team
The combination of technology-heavy laboratories and a spatial study and research environment is a speciality of the architects of both Artelia and Christensen & Co, who have won several similar assignments at DTU and are currently collaborating on the construction of B310. In addition, Artelia is the engineer partner at B228A for DTU Chemical Engineering, which is currently under construction, and DTU Biosustain, which was inaugurated by HRH Prince Joachim on 17 November 2016.

The construction of the expanded facilities for the DTU Electromagnetic Test Centre will be completed in 2022.

 

Facts:
Developer: DTU

Area: approx. 1,500 m2

Team: Turnkey contractor Elindco A/S, Christensen & Co Architects A/S, Artelia Rådgivende Ingeniører A/S.

Design/Construction Period: June 2019-March 2022

 

About DTU Electromagnetic Test Centre (ETC):
DTU ETC will be a key element in DTU’s future research, development, and training in the field of microwave technology. This will allow for new types of experiments that will strengthen DTU’s own research and the participation of DTU in international research projects, particularly ESA and EU projects.

Microwave technology is the foundation of all wireless technology, such as mobile communications, radar, radio and TV, radio astronomy, radiometry, satellite communications, wireless networks, wireless security systems and a range of medical applications; in short, all technology based on microwaves.