The Sun is Shining on SCHOTT Solar’s New Facility

Richardson & Richardson Construction has completed a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing space for SCHOTT Solar. The new, award-winning facility sits on the company's 80-acre Mesa del Sol campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This serves as SCHOTT’s flagship North American manufacturing facility for photovoltaic modules and receivers for concentrated solar power plants.

Our team was met with multiple challenges during the completion of this project. SCHOTT’s proprietary equipment required a complex environment resulting in special considerations for foundations, flooring, utilities, plant water systems and end-user environmental controls. To accommodate the client’s specifications, Bekaert twisted steel fibers were used in lieu of rebar when pouring concrete, high-end specialty gas piping and fittings were installed for argon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen supplies, and the facility was equipped with a de-ionized water system throughout.

The jobsite’s desert location also presented continuous dust and air quality concerns. Our stringent outdoor dust control monitoring system, as well as our use of specialized sealants and coatings, resulted in a dust-free environment for SCHOTT’s highly-sensitive production process. Despite these challenges, we were still able to complete this project in just nine months, ahead of the projected 13-month timeline. Our efforts were recognized with a 2010Associated General Contractors of New Mexico Best Buildings Award for Industrial/Manufacturing Projects over $20 Million.