The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has started the construction of a €30.8-million building in Grenoble, France, to increase the facility’s experimenting space.
A ceremony held on 29 November marked the start of the construction for several building extensions, to be inaugurated in June 2013.
The extensions include two additional experimental halls to host eight new synchrotron beam lines, along with an extra 4,000 square metres for laboratories and offices.
ESRF user operations will be interrupted from 5 December to 5 May 2012. During this time, the excavation works and preparation of foundations will cause too much vibration to operate the synchrotron.