Halcyon Biolabs put the new vapour-phase nitrogen store on level B2 into service on 7 September 2026. The store holds samples at about -150 °C and adds capacity for the cell products of the laboratory's clinical partners and biobanks. It lies under the hill, one level below the freezers at -80 °C on B1.
Excavation for B2 began in spring 2025 and the shell was finished in the winter of 2025 to 2026. Regional civil engineering firms carried out the work. The excavation was done with mechanical equipment, and vibration was measured on the assay floors above, which stayed in operation throughout.
During the excavation for B2 the contractors met an older concrete service gallery from the 1960s further into the hill. On the instruction of the canton, the gallery was left closed and is not used. The works continued on the planned footprint of the store.
The store contains twelve vapour-phase tanks. Liquid nitrogen is delivered to an external tank and reaches the room through an insulated line, and each tank has its own temperature and level probe. Oxygen sensors and an extraction system protect the staff in the room, and every alarm is passed to the technician on call.
Commissioning followed a written qualification plan, with temperature mapping of each tank over several weeks and a test of the alarm chain. Thomas Brunner, quality manager, released the store for use after he had reviewed the qualification report. The first samples were moved from B1 in the second week of September under the existing chain of custody.