The University of North Carolina has broken ground on the new Science Complex at its Chapel Hill campus. Designed by William Wilson Associated Architects of Boston, the center is the largest construction project ever undertaken on campus. Phase 1 of the Science Complex begins with two buildings totaling $7.9 million. The Physics/Marine Science building includes three large lecture halls, an astronomy deck, two floors of marine science, and two floors of physics. The Chemistry Building includes wet labs, dry labs, computational labs, and shared instrument space, some of which is below-grade.
The new facilities will provide space for activities including: nanotechnology, materials science, polymer science, separation science, applied mathematics, and sensor technology. The focus of the project was on pedestrian linkage at grade and academic linkage using bridges and below-grade space. The new buildings form three new quadrangles, and all buildings are connected with an underground program.
