The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is a 94,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that occupies 2 floors and includes 5,000 square feet of clean rooms, or areas with extremely low levels of pollutants and contaminants used for scientific research, as well as wet and dry general laboratory space, office space for users and staff, vibration- and noise-controlled research areas, and anti-static flooring lab areas. The CFN was started in September 2005 and completed in March 2007.

This Center is one of five of its kind built by the U.S. Department of Energy. It serves to provide state-of-the-art capabilities for the development and understanding of nanoscale materials, or materials that are billionths of a meter in size, which will help the U.S. achieve energy independence.

As a LEED Silver building, the CFN exceeded the anticipated amount of credits needed. These included:

• Diverting 79.99 percent of construction waste from landfills
• Using 13.57 percent recycled content in building materials
• Using local materials for 27.99 percent of the project
• Roofing materials designed for energy conservation
• Energy-efficient heating and ventilation equipment

The CFN project was recognized by McGraw Hill Construction’s Best of 2007 for Best Research Facility. Additionally, it received the GBC Build New York Award for 2007 in recognition of excellence in construction and teamwork.