Tufts University recently unveiled a new Science and Engineering Complex that officials hope will foster innovation, collaboration, and discovery on the Medford and Somerville campus.
The 175,000-square-foot facility on College Avenue includes a new 80,000-square-foot building and the existing Robinson and Anderson halls.
The complex opened at the start of the semester following the completion of a $110 million project that included the new building and the renovation of 26,000 square feet of Robinson Hall.
The project added more than 47,000 square feet of laboratories, classrooms, and support rooms to Tufts’s science and engineering facilities, according to the university, which said the flexible design allows for the addition of more space to meet future demand.
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Tufts President Anthony P. Monaco said in a statement that the complex was built to “advance undergraduate teaching and undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research in the sciences and engineering.
“It was planned and designed in order to facilitate interactions by students and faculty across disciplines,” added Monaco, “because we believe that bringing strong disciplines together in collaboration offers the best opportunities for discoveries that address a wide range of human and environmental concerns.”
Monaco said the complex includes “core facilities for imaging, mass spectrometry, and animal models that will support not only the science in the complex but more broadly across the university.”
Officials said the new complex is also a key component of Tufts’s Science and Technology Corridor, a string of laboratories, offices, classrooms, and collaborative space along Boston Avenue in Medford dedicated to supporting STEM education and research.
Extending from College Avenue to Harvard Street, the SciTech Corridor also includes the Tufts University Science and Technology Center; the Collaborative Learning and Innovation Complex, which opened in 2015; and the new Central Energy Plant, which provides electricity, steam, hot water for heating, and chilled water for cooling to the upper campus and the new Science and Engineering Complex.
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US Senator Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat, and Medford Mayor Stephanie M. Burke were among those on hand for a recent event unveiling the new facility.
Labs in the new complex include the recently dedicated Allen Discovery Center, which explores the life sciences. The center was funded with a $10 million grant from Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen.
Highlights of the collaborative spaces include a window-lined atrium that features a cafe.
The complex also includes a tool-equipped space for shared use by faculty, researchers, and students.
John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.