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Caltech
Planning, Design & Construction

Datta Lab in Schlinger

Chemistry Lab for Professor Sujit Datta in CCE. Lab is located in the Schlinger building, first floor.
Datta Lab Renovation

Project: CCE Datta Laboratory Renovation

The Office of Planning, Design, and Construction (PD&C) confirms the completion and successful occupancy of the Sujit Datta Laboratory within the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE). The renovation serves as a key performance indicator for PD&C's current institutional mandate to deliver research environments within a 12–15 month window from project inception.

Technical Scope and Modal Support

The project involved the conversion of existing space into a high-density research environment tailored for CCE's specific experimental modalities. The infrastructure was designed to support advanced bench-scale research, featuring:

  • Integrated high-purity DI water and compressed air systems.
  • Specialized exhaust system configurations with temporary isolation protocols.
  • Enhanced lab benching and modular storage to accommodate evolving research needs.

Project Lifecycle and Milestone Tracking

The renovation followed a traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) delivery model. Despite a schedule that spanned three major Institute holiday closures, the project met all critical path milestones to achieve a 14–month total duration.

  • Inception/Initial Scoping: April 2, 2024
  • Provost Authorization: July 17, 2024 (Following a 15–week design and estimation phase)
  • Construction Commencement: February 19, 2025
  • Project Occupancy: June 2, 2025

Project Stewardship

In addition to meeting the accelerated timeline, the project was completed under the authorized budget. Through rigorous value engineering and proactive management of field conditions, PD&C successfully reconciled all project costs, returning approximately 5.3% of the total project authorization back to the Office of the Provost.

Operational Excellence

The construction phase required navigating several complex field conditions, including the discovery of undocumented legacy utilities within the ceiling plenum and the requirement for utility penetration through existing fire-rated partitions. Under the management of Robert Tellez, these conditions were mitigated with minimal impact to the occupancy schedule, ensuring the lab was ready for CCE research operations by the start of the June cycle.

Project Lead: Robert Tellez, PD&C

Division: Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE)