The Morton Lab - University of Manchester The Morton Laboratory
Building on the Northern Campus of the University of
Manchester started out in life as the Chemical
Engineering Pilot Plant of UMIST. This building of
two halves was designed by H. M. Fairhurst and built in
1966. The northern half of the building is fully
glazed and it has structural steel and grating
floors. This allows for the installation of
process equipment as in a real chemical plant.
 The University says this of it, "The area is treated as 39 zones, each with a full set of services 'data, power, steam, air and water. Six are within areas that are highly ventilated, allowing the use of flammable materials. All are designed to be 'plug-and-play' so that research staff can build a large rig in the workshop, move it in, and start it up with no fuss."  The South end of the building is clad in grey "engineering bricks" and it provides accommodation for laboratory space. "At the heart of the laboratory lies a high capacity data highway, so that experimental data, can be captured and managed in real time, and equipment and experiments controlled through easily understood graphics. The data are available on line to the research staff and their collaborators - wherever they may be in the world."
 The building is named
after Frank Morton a noted professor of chemical
engineering who studied at the Manchester Municipal
College of Technology and went on to be instrumental in
the creation of the
University of Manchester Institute of Science &
Technology.
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