GIRMOS Integration & Test Facility

Interior alterations to an existing laboratory space (Group F, Division 3 - low hazard industrial secondary occupancy) within the McLennan Physical Laboratories sub-basement built in 1967, located at 255 Huron Street on the St. George campus at the University of Toronto.  

The project accommodates the needs of researchers in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics to develop, integrate, test, and deploy a high-profile scientific instrument for one of the world’s largest telescopes – the Gemini observatory.  This instrument, the Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS), requires a space at the University of Toronto to undergo final integration of components shipped from partner institutions, testing, and validation prior to shipping to the Gemini observatory for scientific observations. The overall instrument weighs approximately 2,000 kg and is the size of a small car.

The existing space was selected due to the presence of both an overhead gantry crane and +/-1.8m deep pit in the middle of the room. A Class 10,000 cleanroom has been constructed in the pit to facilitate the work of the researchers, and the added height afforded by the pit will allow the GIRMOS instrument to be lifted and rotated to mimic real-world operating conditions.