The School of Medicine and its department of cellular and molecular physiology will mark the formal opening of major laboratory renovations on Wednesday, Dec. 10, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house.
Dr. David A. Kessler, dean of the medical school, and Dr. Walter F. Boron, professor and departmental chair, will be among the speakers at the ceremony, scheduled for
2 p.m. at the first floor, B-wing entrance in the Sterling Hall of Medicine, 333 Cedar St. The open house following the ceremony will continue through 4 p.m. The events are open to the University community.
This $4.9 million, B-wing renovation project is the first of several anticipated initiatives to renovate existing space in the medical school's main building, originally constructed in 1924. The project was supported, in part, by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
"We have completely reorganized these first-floor labs into a modular layout so there is more efficient use of space," Dr. Boron points out. "There are no walls in the largest laboratory module of about 5,000 square feet. This open floor plan is very flexible and will enhance the interactions among different research groups. The renovated space is not only ideal for departmental research but it also will be a major plus for attracting new faculty, fellows and students."
In these laboratories, medical school investigators conduct basic research on the mechanisms by which salts, water and other substances cross cell membranes. These processes are important for kidney function and also for nerve impulses and muscle contraction. The research of several of the investigators in the newly renovated space is supported by a Program Project Grant, directed by Dr. Gerhard H. Giebisch, Sterling Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
Architecturally, the 15,046-square-foot project changed a series of small, often oddly shaped rooms into six larger flexible laboratory modules, two flexible core facilities (one for microscopy and another for graphics), and several smaller laboratory support spaces, including a cold room, equipment rooms and biological and radioactive waste storage areas. B-wing also includes the departmental office and office support space.
Svigals Associates of New Haven was the architect; the construction manager was Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., based in Baltimore. The medical school's department of project management and construction coordinated the project.