PETRA III Construction Site Handed Over to DESY

Ceremonial key delivery (from left): Jörg Schröder and Silke Pförtner from Züblin, Christian Scherf, Lindemar Hänisch and Edgar Weckert

Yesterday, exactly one year after the official PETRA III con­struction start, the experimental hall including the outside facilities were handed over to DESY. Silke Pförtner from the general contractor Ed. Züblin symbolically delivered the key of the almost 300 metres long hall to the head of the DESY construction department Lindemar Hänisch. Further works in the hall are now carried out in charge of DESY; only finishing touches at the façade and in the office rooms are left for the contractor Züblin.

The 10 metres high experimental hall has been finished according to the schedule, in spite of its complex construc­tion. As of 2009, the foundation on 99 deep piles and the world’s largest single-­slab concrete plate will ensure a vibra­tion-­free experimental environment.

Currently the experimental stations are measured and in­stalled. The first interior constructions have already begun in April when the experimental area was handed over to DESY. Now almost half of the shielding blocks are already installed for the concrete tunnel in which the storage ring will later traverse the hall.

PETRA III experimental hall