An Exciting Project Win for Align Builders and the Environment
PROJECT | SOARS Instrument Make-Ready Lab Phase 1
TYPE | LIFE SCIENCE LAB
The newly built Scripps Institution of Oceanography Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS) lab proved to be an exciting project for the ALIGN BUILDERS team. The first-of-its-kind instrument was designed to provide an interdisciplinary UC San Diego science team with the ability to monitor the effect of pollutants over a wide range of ocean conditions from the polar ice caps to the equatorial tropics.
The simulator consists of a wave pool with a hydraulic piston and paddle at the end to drive the water back and and forth simulating the water movement of the ocean. Above the pool is an Aerolab LLC wind tunnel fiberglass channel that’s used to simulate wind and air effects on the ocean. Six Solatubes attached to the wind tunnel provide varying levels of sunlight from low light to full blown tanning weather. The project included a new outdoor mechanical yard with associated mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering upgrades, new foundations, and fire sprinkler modifications.
This important project came to fruition by the stakeholders sharing a common vision which was to build, inspire, and educate and to improve and protect our environment. The Align Builders team is grateful for the opportunity to work with first class trade partners as well as the UCSD CM and design teams, all working together to make the project successful and fun. We look forward to the positive impact it will have through a deeper knowledge of our oceans and by understanding how we effect our vulnerable environment.
Want to know more about this crucial project? Read NSF Awards Scripps Oceanography $2.8 Million to Develop Advanced Ocean and Atmosphere Simulator by the UCSD News Center.
