The special challenge of this project is to invent a community of learners and researchers of two different disciplines, with minimal interference. The completed renovation of 110,000 gsf and new construction of 120,000 gsf will house physics and biology teaching and research space for both undergraduates and graduates, as well as space for certain psychology and geology programs and animal facilities.

The building's theme is to be a magnet, to create a single community space so compelling that people will need to frequent it to eat lunch, to visit administration, to seek each other's advice, to attend class, to see what is happening in physics, to learn what is developing in biology, and not incidentally, to move from one side of the campus to the other, perhaps meeting a friend in the building along the way. The magnet of activities is held within a five-story "in-between" space, between the old and new construction. A glass roof and flying connectors between floors bridge this in-between space.

A band of internal windows looks down on the high bay space for the pulsed-field magnet in physics. The gantry is a brilliant yellow. A glass protection screen surrounds the magnet. Stimulating curiosity is another aspect of the design. On the entry level, a ramp and sitting area overlook the passage of people, outside the administration area and the pilot program for the environmental studies curriculum.

A general hub of activity greets the person entering the building, creating a social pull into the space. The atrium has two levels, spilling down from the main level of the third floor to the second floor, from biology to physics, and to the registrar classrooms. On this level there is a meeting room, as well as sitting areas with white boards under a low overhang, suggesting that there can be privacy within the community space as well. The atrium can be used for changing events, such as poster sessions, and displays of all kinds. The sun brings its own kind of excitement, splashing shadows over the upper surface of the atrium walls and changing by the hour and the season.

The labs are large, flexible, and filled with natural light themselves. Equipment corridors link labs with the atrium space, and are treated as working spaces with exposed ceilings and fittings. A new kind of interaction is anticipated as the labs are large open spaces, rather than the small fragmented layouts of the older structure. The building sits on a hill. Research for biology is on the fourth and fifth floors while physics research is on the solid ground on the first floor. The administrative and teaching spaces are in between the second and third levels, so as to lend themselves most to interaction and learning.