Colorado State University celebrated the grand opening of the new Biology Building and the new Chemistry Research Building on Oct. 12 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of both buildings.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Jan Nerger, dean of the College of Natural Sciences. “It took many dedicated and stalwart people to make it happen.”

The state-of-the-art buildings are constructed in part of locally sourced natural materials intended to connect the buildings to the Colorado landscape, said Lynn Johnson, vice president for university operations. They also contain many innovative features, such as biology exhibits in the Biology Building and giant molecule sculptures outside the Chemistry Research Building.

“Our chemistry is so big we had to put it on the outside,” joked Chuck Henry, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry.

Construction of both buildings began in 2015 after years of planning. The Chemistry Research Building was largely funded by the state of Colorado and encompasses 60,000 square-feet. The 155,000-square-foot Biology Building was funded primarily by the University Facility Fee Advisory Board, a group of students who determine the allocation of the student facility fee.

The buildings are part of what Rick Miranda, provost and executive vice president of CSU, calls the science quad or the science mall. The space will also incorporate the Health and Education Outreach Center when construction on that building finishes in December 2018.

To see more photos from the event, visit the CSU Flickr album.