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Under one roof - It will be the most daring, the most exciting, and the most expensive building ever constructed at the University of Chicago," says University Provost Geoffrey Stone, JD'71, of the Interdivisional Research Building (IRB), a project approved by Chicago's trustees in November. "If I may paraphrase John D. Rockefeller," continues Stone, "it will be one of the best investments we've ever made."

The $186 million structure-made possible in part by a $17.6 million gift from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in January 2000-will be one of the first facilities in the country to bring together researchers from the physical and biological sciences under one roof. The building will allow scientists to collaborate in areas-such as nanoscience-where the two traditional areas of research overlap. At 400,000 square feet, the structure will replace Phemister Hall, Whitman Laboratory, and the Visual Sciences Center on the north side of the science quadrangle.

Rising five stories above ground and extending two stories below, the space will include faculty and student offices, lounges, a café, meeting rooms, and state-of-the-art modular laboratories designed for a flexible layout. The L-shaped structure will lie between the John Crerar Library and 57th Street and will include a second-story atrium arching over the existing pedestrian thoroughfare that connects 57th Street to the science quadrangle. Demolition and excavation work begin this spring, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2004.-C.S.

No(w) parking - Steve Beaudoin, director of safety and parking services, greeted drivers arriving at the new parking structure with coffee and doughnuts instead of trumpets and ribbons. The 1,068-space building, designed by architect Cesar Pelli and built at a cost of $23 million, quietly opened for business January 2 on the corner of 55th Street and Ellis Avenue after more than a year of planning and construction. The new garage will increase parking capacity on campus by more than 500 spots.

Permit parking is available to staff, faculty, and students for $65 per month, and 80 visitor spots are available for $1 per hour for the first four hours and $2 for each additional hour. Parking is free to the general public from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. and on weekends. Retail space scheduled to open this fall on the first floor will include a bowling alley, a billiards room, and a restaurant and bar.-C.S.