The University of Pittsburgh's Biomedical Science Tower 3 (BST3) opened last month. By next year, the $205-million, ten-storey tower will house a wide range of high-powered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instruments, the world's largest zebrafish colony and a biosafety level-3 lab. There will also be scientists from an eclectic mix of disciplines, from drug discovery to fish genetics and vaccine development. Researchers have worked with architects to make BST3 as user-friendly as possible.

The building will house about 500 workers: some in the structural and computational biology departments; some in neurobiology, bioengineering and molecular genetic groups; and some at centres in neurodegeneration, cognition, drug discovery and vaccine research. Half or so of the 50 principal investigators will be in new jobs.

Angela Gronenborn migrated from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, to chair the new structural biology department and oversee the NMR facility. Her office overlooks the gigantic underground bay holding 600, 700 and 800 MHz magnets (a 900 MHz magnet will be added soon). The only NMR facility in the United States with such a range of instruments under one roof, it will let researchers elucidate different properties of difficult molecules such as membrane proteins, says Gronenborn. Natural light streams into the bunker, nine metres underground, where removable plate glass windows allow easy installation of future magnets.

Upstairs, the 10,000-tank zebrafish facility can accommodate up to half a million fish, enabling collaborative genetic screening projects. Special light-tight cabinets help speed breeding and experiments. Interchangeable freshwater tanks are equipped with computer-automated pumping and water quality systems.

All that means more time and energy focused on lab work, and less on the 'nuts and bolts' of maintaining the colony, says Nathan Bahary, a zebrafish molecular geneticist at the University of Pittsburgh. The tower also contains modular lab benches and other features for ease of expansion and upgrades.

The diversity of scientists in BST3 — basic 'fish people' collaborating with bioreactor engineers and talking to nearby neurobiologists — should keep the science bubbling.