Inmos microprocessor factory

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Inmos microprocessor factory
Newport Wafer Fab (former Inmos factory)-geograph-6238475-by-Jaggery (cropped).jpg
The microprocessor factory in 2019 when it was owned by Newport Wafer Fab
General information
Architectural styleHigh-tech
LocationNewport
AddressCardiff Road
CountryWales
CoordinatesCoordinates: 51°33′57″N 3°01′21″W / 51.56583°N 3.02250°W / 51.56583; -3.02250
Construction started1980
Completed1982
OwnerNexperia
Technical details
Size8,900 m²
Floor count1 (factory area)
Design and construction
ArchitectProject Architects:
David Bartlett
Pierre Botschi
Mike Davies
Sally Eaton
Michael Elkan
Marco Goldschmied
Kunimi Hayashi
Tim Inskip
Julia Marks
Peter McMunn
Richard Rogers
John Young
Architecture firmRichard Rogers Partnership
Structural engineerAnthony Hunt Associates
Services engineerYRM Engineers
Quantity surveyorG A Hanscomb
Main contractorLaing Construction
Awards and prizes
  • Structural Steel Design Award 1982
  • Eurostructpress Award 1983
  • Financial Times Architecture at Work Award Commendation 1983
  • Constructa-Preis for Overall Excellence in the Field of Architecture 1986

The Inmos microprocessor factory, also known as the Inmos factory, is a building in Newport, Wales, UK which was originally built as a microprocessor fabrication plant for Inmos. Since July 2021 the factory has been owned by Nexperia. The architects of the award-winning high-tech building were the Richard Rogers Partnership. Construction began in 1980 and was completed by 1982.[1] The factory was the first building in Wales to be designed by Richard Rogers.[2] Later, he would design the Senedd building in Cardiff, which is the debating chamber for the National Assembly for Wales.[2]

Design and construction[]

The former Inmos microprocessor factory in 2007 when it was owned by International Rectifier

Inmos Limited commissioned the Richard Rogers Partnership, now known as Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, to design its UK microprocessor manufacturing facility at Newport. The design criterion was for a fast construction, so that it was ready for operation within one year of starting.[3] Richard Rogers until then was known for designing the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Lloyd's building in London. The main contractor for the construction of the building was Laing Construction, the structural engineers were Anthony Hunt Associates, the services engineers were YRM Engineers and the quantity surveyors were GA Hanscomb Partnership.[4]

The technical requirements were that it would house controlled conditions for the production of electronic microchips, a service area for various offices and a staff canteen, all under one roof.[3] The Inmos factory was designed to be a model factory that could be constructed in a variety of locations. The speed of the design process and construction time of the building were critical. The 8,900 square metres (96,000 sq ft) single-storey building was designed to be fabricated off-site, and assembled on the Newport site.[4]

The building is divided into clean and "dirty" areas. The cleanroom being for microchip production and the dirty area for all others services in the building. The building has a central spine which is 7.2 metres (24 ft) wide and 106 m (348 ft) from which all the services and production area emanates from eight bays with the potential to increase this to 20 bays.[3][5] Suspended beams span 40m from the central spine with masts along the length of the building allowing for a post-free area,[1][6] and so providing a flexible interior and the possibility of large work areas.[1] Reyner Banham, the architectural critic and writer, said of the Inmos factory that it was "the first really challenging building of the 1980s."[7]

Usage[]

Although the building was originally commissioned by Inmos, by July 1984 Thorn EMI had taken over Inmos. Thorn EMI later sold Inmos to SGS-Thomson Microelectronics NV in March 1989.[8][9] A management buyout took over the factory in 1999, renaming the business, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited.[10] In March 2002, the factory was sold to International Rectifier Company (GB) Limited, then later in January 2015 it was acquired by Infineon Technologies, under its subsidiary company IR Newport Ltd.[11][12] In September 2017, Infineon sold the site to Neptune 6 Limited, under its subsidiary company of Newport Wafer Fab Limited.[13][12] In July 2021 the site again was sold, this time to Nexperia,[14] who also have plants in Hamburg and Manchester.

Awards[]

  • Structural Steel Design Award 1982
  • Eurostructpress Award 1983
  • Financial Times Architecture at Work Award Commendation 1983
  • Constructa-Preis for Overall Excellence in the Field of Architecture 1986

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c "Inmos Microelectronics Plant". Nicolas Janberg (Structurae). Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b "All Projects". Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "Inmos Microprocessor Factory". Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Inmos Microprocessor Factory" (PDF). Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2007.
  5. ^ "Encyclopedia of World Biography on Richard Rogers". www.bookrags.com/. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  6. ^ "Patscenter, Princeton, New Jersey, USA". Columbia University. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  7. ^ Whiteley, Nigel (2003). Reyner Banham: Historian of the Immediate Future. Cambridge: MIT Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-262-73165-2. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  8. ^ Hart, Jeffrey A (1993). Rival Capitalists: International Competitiveness in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. Cornell University Press. pp. 176. ISBN 978-0-8014-9949-4. Retrieved 26 September 2009. Thorn EMI Inmos.
  9. ^ "Newport Wafer Fab The Latest Chip Plant To Fall". BNET. 1998. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  10. ^ "Newport Wafer-Fab Bought Out For $160M". United Business Media. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  11. ^ "Sale of Newport wafer fab to IR saves 260 jobs". Reed Business Information. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  12. ^ a b "In the news: Infineon selling IR Newport manufacturing site to new firm Neptune 6". Semiconductor Centre Limited. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  13. ^ "A Critical Component of the Semiconductor Cluster". CS Connected. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Chinese-owned Nexperia confirms acquisition of UK's largest chip plant". CNBA. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.

External links[]

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