Case Study: Princeton University achieves vibration-controlled lab design with Oasys Software

Princeton University - Customer Case Study

Princeton University worked with Oasys Software on the new Frick Laboratory project, where the university needed a major research building that could meet very strict vibration, cleanliness, and sustainability requirements. The 24,620m², $280M facility had to support up to 360 researchers and provide extremely low vibration levels for sensitive instruments such as microscopes, lasers, electron microscopes, and NMR imaging devices.

Oasys Software, using Structural Suite and GSA, helped the design team build vibration models to test floor performance under different footfall loads and identify the best locations for sensitive equipment. This led to a cost-optimized structural design with stiffer zones near columns for critical labs and lower-importance “ghost” corridor areas that could tolerate up to 16,000 μin/sec versus 2000 μin/sec in laboratory spaces, helping create an efficient building that was praised as one of the best academic chemistry facilities in the country.

Princeton University

David MacMillan

Princeton University