Infrastructure

WP 1 develops the laboratory infrastructure of HSR / HCMR through the supply and installation of materials and the works required for:

– Reconstruction of the existing elevated indoor spaces (lofts), totalling 67 m², in the eastern and western basement of the Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes / HCMR, and their conversion into a new sea-turtle care laboratory. The loft floors are steel sheeting so corroded that they need immediate replacement. The metal beams that form the supporting structure are locally corroded and must be cleaned and insulated with appropriate anti-corrosive paints. The perimeter railing is also so corroded that it is considered unsafe and must be replaced in full.

– Creation of a new enclosed laboratory for experimental aquarium science at HSR / HCMR, 32 m², under the loft of the eastern basement.

– Reconfiguration of the existing chemistry room on the western ground floor of HSR / HCMR so that it can house the new sediment-analysis laboratory. The chemistry room is not sufficiently isolated from the rest of the ground floor and public areas, which hinders its operation.

The HSR / HCMR building was constructed in the 1930s. Its internal and external layout does not give people with disabilities access to all areas. Its listing as a historic monument by the Ephorate of Modern Monuments also requires careful evaluation of any additions so that its character is not altered.

Upgrading infrastructure, research and innovation, and sharing results with scientists and the public are core aims of the Station and are served by the other work packages. This package is of equal importance: by giving researchers, students and visitors with disabilities access to the Station’s research and education spaces, it removes the exclusion of a sensitive social group.

Given the building’s layout, an external vertical platform lift has been chosen for outdoor access. For internal access to the northern basement, a fixed ramp is preferred.