Hanford Invests in Lab’s Future with New, Modern Office Building

Two EM Office of River Protection (ORP) contractors invested in advancing the waste cleanup mission with a new, state-of-the-art office building for the Hanford Site’s 222-S Laboratory support staff.

Office of Environmental Management

April 4, 2023
In front, from left, are Delmar Noyes, Office of River Protection assistant manager for Tank Farms Project; Ray Geimer, Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration general manager; and Wes Bryan, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) president and project manager. They are joined, in back, by WRPS and Fowler General Construction workers at a recent ribbon-cutting for the 222-S Laboratory’s new office building.

In front, from left, are Delmar Noyes, Office of River Protection assistant manager for Tank Farms Project; Ray Geimer, Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration general manager; and Wes Bryan, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) president and project manager. They are joined, in back, by WRPS and Fowler General Construction workers at a recent ribbon-cutting for the 222-S Laboratory’s new office building.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Two EM Office of River Protection (ORP) contractors invested in advancing the waste cleanup mission with a new, state-of-the-art office building for the Hanford Site’s 222-S Laboratory support staff.

Tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is wrapping up construction on the 17,600-square-foot office space for contractor Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration (HLMI), which manages and runs the laboratory.

The primary mission of the laboratory is to provide analysis of radioactive samples to support projects on the site. This includes studying samples to enable tank-waste management and, soon, the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program.

“It gives the 222-S team more office space to move forward as they prepare to support DFLAW startup and continue the tank-waste mission,” said Ricky Bang, ORP Tank Farms Program Division director. “It’s part of an ongoing investment and an indication to the workforce of the long-term mission that we have to clean up the Hanford Tank Farms, and the importance in completing that mission.”

The site of a new office building for the 222-S Laboratory on the Hanford Site is pictured in November 2021 when construction started on the 17,600-square-foot space, and in February 2023, a few months before the project’s completion.
The site of a new office building for the 222-S Laboratory on the Hanford Site is pictured in November 2021 when construction started on the 17,600-square-foot space, and in February 2023, a few months before the project’s completion.

The new office building will house administrative and technical staff and replaces a nearby decades-old office building that will later be demolished.

“This new office building is one step toward the future of developing the laboratory into a facility that’s going to last for at least another 50 years,” said HLMI General Manager Ray Geimer during a recent ribbon-cutting. “It’s a commitment to our workforce to have nice premises that are energy efficient and have state-of-the-art technology.”

WRPS and subcontractor Fowler General Construction in Richland, Washington, built the facility over the past 1 ½ years at an estimated cost of $13.5 million.

“What we were able to do here was literally turn a field into a brand-new workspace. This asset allows the team to perform the mission the best way possible,” said Wes Bryan, WRPS president and project manager. “We did it safely and efficiently with great teamwork.”

View a time-lapse video of the building construction and ribbon-cutting here.