Life Sciences Complex
"Life Sciences Complex" by Ellenzweig Associates of Cambridge, MA , April 2006 - August 2008
The Life Sciences Complex is a six-story, 230,000 square foot facility that is home to the biology, chemistry, and biochemistry departments. Opened in 2008 to encourage interdisciplinary research and education, the complex marks the first time all three departments have been under the same roof. The complex is organized into two wings, one for research and one for teaching. The complex includes research laboratories for Molecular and Cellular Biology, teaching laboratories for the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, classrooms and lecture halls, as well as various lab support facilities, including a greenhouse and plant growth facility. A glass atrium, the Milton Atrium, connects the two wings as well as joins the complex with the Center for Science and Technology building. The atrium includes a café and a lounge for socializing. The complex grounds include the Climate Change Garden, a long-term climate change experiment that includes more than 30 tree and shrub species common to the US as well as several European and Asian species that may become more common in the US in the future.
The construction of the Life Sciences Complex had a $107 million budget. $90 million of the budget is bonded and the rest was supported through fundraising. Jack and Laura Milton, Class of 1951, made a $6 million donation to support the construction of the glass atrium. SU also received a $5 million state grant to create the Restore Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the Life Sciences Complex through the New York Assembly’s Rebuilding the Empire State Through Opportunities in Regional Economies (RESTORE) program. The Restore Center hopes to help create new local jobs and stimulate the local economy by promoting commercial partnerships between researchers at SU, researchers at other local colleges and universities, and local biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. The dedication ceremony for the complex included the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Robert Ward’s “In Praise of Science.” SU commissioned Ward to write the piece for the event and it was performed by a brass ensemble and sung by Laura Enslin, an SU voice teacher.
SU University Archives; "Life Sciences Complex." SU Archives Buildings website; "Syracuse University Life Sciences Complex Commissioning." C. J. Brown Energy, P.C. website; Thompson, J. (2008, November 6). “SU's new $107 million complex brings sciences together.” Syracuse.com; Brenda, D. (2008). “SU dedicates $107-million Life Sciences Complex.” The Daily Orange; "Syracuse University — Life Sciences Complex, Syracuse, NY." Barr & Barr Construction website; "Syracuse University Life Sciences Building." Ellenzweig official website; "Climate Change Garden." SU website; Ellenzweig website; Kenneth C. Zirkel. Wikimedia Commons; SU Photo and Imaging Center.