New era of science officially begins at futuristic building.
By: Jeff Milgram
Princeton began a new era of molecular biology research and education Thursday with the dedication of an ambitious genomics program, housed in a futuristic building with an undulating metal-clad wood sculpture by architect Frank Gehry inside and outside and 40-foot louvers that follow the sun.
"It indeed is one of the greatest days of my life," Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman said before the formal dedication of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics and the Carl Icahn Laboratory. "I’ve been looking forward to this day for four and a half years."
Dr. Tilghman was the genomics institute’s founding director before she was named university president.
She said the laboratory and institute will permit the university to respond to a "paradigm shift in biology" research and education.
"Metaphorically, we have spent the last 25 years taking the radio apart," Dr. Tilghman said. "Now we must put the radio together again."
Princeton established the genomics institute in 1999 with a mandate to develop new approaches to researching and teaching biology now that the human genome has been sequenced.
In July 1999, Princeton graduate Peter B. Lewis gave the university $55 million, of which $35 million was directed toward establishing an endowment to support a fellows program at the genomics institute.
Mr. Lewis, a member of the class of 1955, is chairman and CEO of The Progressive Corp., one of the nation’s largest auto insurers. He subsequently gave an additional $4.5 million for laboratory infrastructure.
It is named to honor his close friend and Princeton classmate, Paul Sigler, who was a leading structural biologist. Mr. Sigler died in 2000.
The laboratory is named in honor of financier Carl Icahn, a member of the class of 1957, whose gift to Princeton supported its construction.
In October 1999, the Icahn Family Foundation donated $20 million to support the construction of the lab, which houses the genomics institute. Carl Icahn is chairman of his own investment firm, Icahn Associates.
Construction began in March 2001, and administrators and scientists began moving into the building in January.
The institute brings together scientists from such fields as molecular biology, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering and computer science. It is designed to foster collaborations that will lead to an entirely new approach to biology.
"In terms of providing space for the scientists, it’s fantastic," said physics Professor William Bialek. He said the sheer stunning design is an added bonus. "It adds something to the atmosphere that’s hard to quantify," he said.
The lab is a 98,000-square- foot building designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects PC, which also designed Princeton Stadium. The building’s office space and 35,000 square feet of laboratories form an L-shaped footprint between Washington Road and Poe and Pardee playing fields.
A curved, two-story wall of glass sweeps across the two tips of the L, creating a large atrium in the bend. The atrium provides a rich variety of common spaces and a dramatic expression of the institute’s focus on fostering collaboration.
Among the unique common areas in the atrium is a sculpture by architect Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. The undulating lead-clad wood structure houses a conference room. Another distinctive feature is a row of 31 vertical louvers, 40 feet tall, that shade the atrium from outside the glass wall. The louvers, constructed of painted aluminum, turn in time with the sun to maximize the shade.

