Foundation piles are currently being installed 34 meters deep into the ground on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The work is being carried out by the Landesbetrieb Liegenschafts- und Baubetreuung (Landesbetrieb LBB) as part of the first construction phase of the new Center for Fundamental Physics (CFP). The CFP will provide the necessary infrastructure for the expanded research program of JGU’s PRISMA⁺ cluster of excellence.

A large rotary drilling rig with a height of around 30 meters and an engine output of 433 kw (589 hp) is currently driving the 36 foundation piles (diameter 1.20 meters) for an underground extension around 34 meters deep into the ground on the construction site between Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg, Fritz-Straßmann-Weg and Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg. In addition, a bored pile wall consisting of 26 boreholes (around 18 meters deep, diameter 1.20 meters) and a back-anchored soldier pile wall with 34 boreholes (around 16 meters deep, diameter 0.75 meters) will be constructed to secure the excavation pit. This is being done using a low-vibration, vibration-optimized drilling process in order to avoid damage to the sensitive experimental facilities of the Mainz Institute of Nuclear Physics, such as the underground particle accelerator MAMI (Mainz Microtron).

The existing underground halls will be partially rebuilt and extended by a 600 square meter experimental hall at a depth of around 11 meters; a two-storey technical building with an area of around 590 square meters will later be built above ground. The new innovative particle accelerator MESA (Mainz Energy-Recovering Superconducting Accelerator) is to be built underground and put into operation here over the next few years. In addition, a new workshop with 290 square meters of office and recreation rooms and a 240 square meter warehouse have already been made available for use by the institute this year.

The total construction costs for these measures are expected to amount to 29 million euros. The total construction time for the new underground hall with technical superstructure is around 32 months. It is planned to lay the foundation stone for the new experimental hall in spring 2020.