Having rescued various EM's, LM's, computers, etc. from 3rd and 
second floor "rains"  Above ground does not get you any protection.

But Adian:  Yes, in general I have found a signifcant improvement in 
vibrations on the ground or lower.  Now, I have building next door 
from me that has 4 floors of parking below the "ground" floor and I 
would never try to install a highend microscope lab there.

Currently, we have years of successful use on 2nd & 3rd floors BUT we 
have to use vibration isolation tables - and these have solved all 
our vibration problems for our LM's (Wide-filed and Confocal).

Bigger issues are HVAC and acoustic noises.  Plus, the tendency is to 
have very noisey (acoustic, vibration, and electro-magnetic fields) 
first in the ground floors spaces, and then secondly, in the attic 
spaces.  So you really need to look at what other things will be 
nearby your proposaed facility space.

And as a final note we are in the process of renovating a new 
facility on the ground (literally), but this includes EM's as well as 
LM's.  In a "Non-science" building - no pumps, no refrigerators, no 
high-voltage power supplies, no centrifuges, no MRI's, just rocks, 
pots, dried plants and stuffed animals . . .


On 26 Oct 2009 at 11:45, Vergara, Leoncio A. wrote:

> Flooding ...good point.
> 
> Leoncio Vergara MD
> Post Ike microscopist
> Galveston-TX
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Timothy
> Feinstein Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 9:20 PM To:
> [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: New building options -
> feedback request from facilities NOT located on ground floor/basement
> 
> Hi Adrian,
> 
> You might want to consider the possibility of flooding.  My experience
> probably makes me a bit jaded, having rescued a confocal from indoor
> rain twice while studying for my doctorate, but it strikes me as an
> issues that could affect on which floor to situate a facility.  Even
> given that newer buildings should have fewer problems (in theory at
> least...), when below ground level you can not control the integrity
> of nearby water mains.
> 
> More experienced microscopists can better say whether this issue comes
> up often enough to affect your planning.
> 
> Good luck and all the best,
> 
> 
> Tim Feinstein
> University of Pittsburgh
> 
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > The University with which we are affiliated is currently planning a
> > large new research building which will incorporate an (optical)
> > cellular imaging facility.
> >
> > The design brief expressed a preference for a ground floor/basement
> > location for the imaging facility but the current plans have the
> > facility located on the 4th floor.
> >
> > The plan is that the facility will house a mixture of optical 
> > microscopes, ie confocal, multiphoton, widefield etc, and (by the
> > time the facility is built), super-resolution.
> >
> > (At this stage there is also plenty of room for future expansion/new
> > technologies)
> >
> > I'm interested to hear experiences/feedback from people about just
> > how important it is to have such a facility on the ground
> > floor/basement - ie just how much is that a consideration in a new,
> > purpose-built building? I know of many places (here included) where
> > advanced microscopes are NOT on the ground floor but I'm keen to
> > hear if there are locations where that has been a failure or there
> > have been unexpected complications etc.
> >
> > All feedback gratefully received.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Adrian Smith
> > Centenary Institute, Australia
> >
> 
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Richard E. Edelmann, Ph.D.
Electron Microscopy Facility Director
364 Pearson Hall
Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
Ph: 513.529.5712        Fax: 513.529.4243
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http://www.emf.muohio.edu