Molecular Science Center Under Way in Puerto Rico

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, ground was broken on a 180,000-sf Molecular Sciences Complex for the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPRRP). The building is part of the university's effort to establish itself as a prominent scientific research center and will serve as a landmark entrance to the San Juan campus. Princeton, N.J.-based Hillier Architecture designed the complex, which will bring together research programs including physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, materials science, molecular biology, and synthesis chemistry. After completion of phase one planned for 2006, a second phase of the project will expand the facility by 130,000 sf. Some of the support facilities planned for the expansion are: spectroscopy, biotesting, molecular modeling, computational chemistry, and materials characterization.The university wants to standardize research processes and programs within the UPRRP system with the new Molecular Sciences Complex.