Sprucing up the site

From the Globe to restaurants and meeting rooms, feverish activity is under way on both of the CERN sites to replace old equipment, carry out maitenance on existing facilities and buildings and increase their energy efficiency.

The visual landmark of CERN, the Globe, has been undergoing maintenance work since July. The 40 m diameter sphere, made entirely of wood, is currently being sanded down and new treatments are being applied to the wood to protect the whole building. The work will continue until the beginning of October.

Major work is also under way on some of the most emblematic rooms of the Lab, such as the Conference Room in Building 60 and the Council Chamber: while the first has been completely refurbished, with around 15 extra seats added and new audiovisual facilities installed, in the latter the air conditioning and the main electrical switchboards have been replaced.

In accordance with the plans for consolidating the site with the environment in mind (see the previous Word from the DG), the heating plant for the Prévessin site is currently being renovated and modified to increase efficiency. It will be completed by mid September, ready for winter.

Two of the three on-site restaurants are undergoing work: Restaurant 3 is having a much needed makeover, with repairs to the ceiling, new lighting and a new bar; on the Meyrin site, the lighting in Restaurant 2 is being replaced to improve its efficiency.

Finally, on September 9, there will be a ceremony to mark the start of construction of Building 42, the new extension of Building 40, (see https://cds.cern.ch/record/1150664?ln=en). Local dignitaries including the Mayor of Meyrin, the Geneva State Councillor of the Department of Construction and Information Technology, and the State Secretary for Education and Research will give speeches at the ceremony. The building is due to be ready for use by the end of 2010.