Restoring CERN’s basic fabric
Many of you will have noticed work going on around the CERN site: old trees are being removed, plumbing is being installed and scaffolding is going up around buildings. This is all part of a coordinated approach to consolidating CERN’s basic infrastructure: work that has been put on hold for many years while the Lab’s top priority was completing the LHC. Now that the LHC is built, it’s time to turn our attention to CERN’s buildings and open spaces.
CERN covers a vast area and has many buildings, some dating back to the 1950s. For several years, building maintenance has been carried out on an as-necessary basis, with little attention being paid to preventative measures. As a result, there is much to be done, and it will take time to achieve. For our open spaces, it’s the same story. At CERN, we enjoy a very green working environment, but our trees are ageing and in some cases in danger of falling.
The priority for 2009 is ensuring that CERN’s buildings and open spaces are safe and hygienic. Where scaffolding is going up, it is to allow essential maintenance to be carried out. Where the plumbers are at work, they are bringing CERN’s sanitary installations up to modern day standards. And where old trees are coming down, new ones are being planted in their place.
In 2009, we have devoted a budget of 5 MCHF to this work. This will allow the replanting to be completed, sanitary work to get well underway and the most urgent building work to begin. Over the coming years, CERN will be investing an increasing amount in site consolidation, giving us an opportunity to make CERN not only green in a literal sense, but also in the environmental sense of the word. New building will be carried out with the environment in mind, and where low energy options are possible, they will be used.
Over the coming years, we’ll move on from essential consolidation work to preventative measures and improvements to our on-site facilities. I have my own ideas as to what improvements are needed, but it’s your ideas that count. That’s why the Directorate Office has launched a questionnaire send out to the CERN users and personnel this week. Please take the time to complete it: it’s your chance to ensure that your laboratory provides the best possible facilities for its staff and users.
