Jackson Laboratory For Genomic Medicine To Open Next Week

On the elevator walls at the new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine are staggered, little rectangles of white light in four vertical columns resembling a Scantron answer sheet used in schools.

Actually, it's a representation of DNA electrophoresis, a procedure used to analyze genes. The elevator lights are one of a few aesthetic details indicating the work that will happen at Jackson once the 158 employees move in from five different temporary spaces on the University of Connecticut Health Center campus.

Researchers will assemble in the new building over the next six weeks and the lab plans to hire more people for a total of 300 over the course of three years.

The building and the lab are funded in part by $291 million from a legislative act three years ago. The lab, at the entrance of the UConn Health Center, is a new campus of the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Jackson is known around the world for its mammalian genetics research and the mice it designs for laboratories.

On Thursday, journalists were given a tour of the facility ahead of the Tuesday ribbon cutting.

The four-story facility is a curved rectangle for both biological and computational lab space along with an oval-shaped silo in the center for common space.

On the first floor, in the center of the silo, is a subtle take on a DNA double-helix.

The exterior is a combination of zinc panels and locally-sourced dolomitic limestone. Inside, the carpet, wood and steel all have recycled material, such as plastic in the carpet. The entire building is 18 percent recycled material.

The western side of the building is largely windows to allow natural light to flood the space. Rainwater is collected from the rooftops of the building to a tank and then used to irrigate native plants around the building.

All of these details helped earn the building a LEED Gold sustainability rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

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Jackson Laboratory For Genomic Medicine To Open Next Week