North Carolina State University broke ground for the construction of its new Integrative Sciences Building (ISB) on Sept. 8, 2023. Scheduled for completion in 2026, the $180 million building will create a transformative new space for lab-based science programs such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, agriculture, sustainability and engineering.

Design

The 153,000-square-foot ISB will support a collaborative research environment for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. Each of its five floors will be highly interactive, with no separation between research and teaching. The programs housed within will focus on collaboration, inquiry-driven coursework across disciplines, communication and leadership, diversity and workforce development.

Lower Floors

The building will house the Integrative Sciences undergraduate curriculum, with two floors of state-of-the-art instructional laboratories. A science gallery and event space on the first floor will engage the community by displaying student and faculty research on the chemistry of the living world. The second floor will house advanced laboratory space allowing for the integration of physical and life science research not possible anywhere else on campus.

Upper Floors

Floors three, four and five will house the Integrative Sciences Initiative research program, with faculty focusing on discovering, using, and producing molecular agents used to fight cancer and infectious diseases. Faculty based in the building will have appointments in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering, Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.

Molecular Sciences

Advancing the university’s role in the molecular sciences ecosystem, the ISB will support work in three Chemistry of Life themes that focus on creating, visualizing and using molecules. Each theme embraces interdisciplinary research and teaching through the use of technology, core facilities and other shared spaces within the building.

Three core labs at its center will empower NC State to create new kinds of molecules, to visualize molecules and to develop new molecular technologies.

Integrative Sciences Initiative

NC State awards one-third of the STEM degrees in the entire University of North Carolina System. The ISB is a key component of the university’s Integrative Sciences Initiative that began in 2022. It aims to transform teaching, research and discovery in chemistry and other STEM fields at NC State by employing the latest technology, solving major societal challenges and training a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists to be ready for every future opportunity.

Project Team

• Design Architect: ZGF
• Architect of Record: Moseley Architects
• General Contractor: Skanska USA
• Laboratory Planner: Research Facilities Design
• Experiential Design: ZEBRADOG
• MEP Engineer: AEI
• Structural Engineer: Lynch Mykins
• Civil Engineer: VHB
• Landscape Architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
• Acoustics: Jaffe Holden
• Cost Estimator: Vermeulens
• Geotechnical Engineer: Falcon Engineering

Supplemental Information

• Learn about NC State’s Integrative Sciences Initiative and the Integrative Sciences Building.
• Take a virtual tour designed by ZGF.
• Watch the live stream of construction provided by Skanska USA.