New Chemical Safety Building enhances Yale’s scientific research and marks Science Hill milestone

Charlyn Paradis
brick building trees

Chemical Safety Building (295 Prospect Street) facing north, Yale University (Image courtesy of Ballinger and TenBerke, photographed by Chris Cooper)

Behind the scenes of every lab chasing the next big breakthrough is a network of people and places that keep research running—supplying chemicals and equipment, and safely removing waste.  While these services may not make headlines like a new life-saving medicine, they are the foundation on which discoveries are built.

For 29 years, the Chemical Safety Building (CSB) has been home to two groups that support scientists and their research. The Chemistry Stockroom and the Yale Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Waste Facility provide operational support and ensure health, safety, and environmental protection in laboratory activities. They perform key functions throughout the entire life cycle of physical research, everything from buying large-scale laser setups to cleaning up chemical residue.

“We are our own microcosm,” said Erin McAvoy, director of finance and administration for the Departments of Chemistry, Mathematics, and Statistics & Data Science. “It’s a full cycle service. The Chemistry Stockroom places the orders, manages the finances, receives the product, and gets it to the lab. The lab uses the product, and then the waste is collected (by EHS), processed, and disposed of. All in one place.”  

These services have enabled advancements in chemistry that have improved our quality of life, energy sources, medications, and more.

Now, the upper slope of Science Hill is going through its own transformation. The university is developing the 16-acre Upper Science Hill Building Complex to expand research and collaboration space as it seeks to become a premier location for quantum science and engineering. This initiative unites Yale’s strengths in engineering, physics, chemistry, and materials science. The buildings include a new Physical Sciences and Engineering Building (PSEB), which contains high-performance labs for specialized experiments and core facilities for imaging, materials characterization, and nanofabrication; an Advanced Instrumentation Design Center; an addition to the Wright Laboratory; a geothermal utilities plant; and a new CSB.

To accommodate this expansion, the CSB was demolished, and a new building has been constructed to serve an increasing demand. The new CSB—also known as 295 Prospect Street—marks the first completion milestone in the Upper Science Hill Development and is open and operating.

building loading dock

CSB loading dock (Photo by Chris Cooper)

The 22,000-square-foot, two-story building offers more space and state-of-the-art safety features. Nestled in a corner of a complex of buildings for the Department of Chemistry—the bulk of its service users—the building signifies an enhanced capacity to support cutting-edge research.

desk space shelves

Chemistry Stockroom sorting area and inventory shelves (Photo by Chris Cooper)

The Chemistry Stockroom occupies about a third of the building’s space and has four rooms dedicated to its functions. Here, the staff team is responsible for the safe, efficient management of laboratory resources. The Stockroom is a central hub for procuring, storing, and distributing chemicals, glassware, and equipment for research and teaching. They also manage purchases, mailing, and finance operations for the entire Department.

Improvements to the new building have enhanced the Stockroom workflow. There is more space to break down, store, and organize materials. A new feature—the installation of lockers—means “students can pick up their supplies any time of the day,” said Professor Kurt Zilm, who was a key contributor to the project planning. 

hallway lockers

Lockers line the Stockroom hallway. (Photo by Chris Cooper)

The remaining two-thirds of the building is dedicated to the EHS Waste Facility, which is designed to safely collect, manage, and dispose of the unwanted byproducts of chemical reactions from labs. In this way, the staff oversees the end phase of the research life cycle for chemists and other researchers on Science Hill. They adhere to strict safety protocols to protect people and the environment from risks associated with harmful materials.

Compared to the previous building, the new CSB safety features and increased physical space represent massive improvements. The rooms are fitted with top-notch mechanisms that prevent and protect against hazardous events. The spaces feature robust chemical containment, exhaust, and fire suppression systems, as well as intrinsically safe electrical devices.

empty storage room drainage

A unique feature of the accumulation room is the metal floor drains that, in the event of a spill, collect and direct liquid to a holding tank below. (Photo by Chris Cooper)

The larger space provides more secure waste storage and streamlines operations. Additionally, the presence of a loading dock large enough for a tractor-trailer means that shipments and the accompanying administrative tracking work are less frequent. Other workflow-enhancing perks include a forklift and additional chemical fume hoods for analyzing samples to determine proper disposal.

people in white room fume hood

Waste Facility analysis room (Photo by Chris Cooper)

Planning for the new building involved significant input from faculty and staff members. Iain Kinsella, associate director of EHS and manager of the Waste Facility, acknowledged, “We had tremendous support for the things we needed from a lot of people, like Kurt Zilm (professor) and Scott Strobel (provost). They understand what our department does, the waste side of it, and where waste goes. We are very, very happy with this site.”

The building was completed in July 2025, and three months later, it received a gold-level Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification for its high level of sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. It received this distinction by earning points for every design and construction element that prioritized energy efficiency, water-use reduction, low-impact development, reduced carbon emissions, and improved air quality.

For example, the concrete mixture used to form the foundation and walls contains slag, a byproduct of industrial iron and steel production. Interestingly, when used as a substitute for carbon-intensive Portland cement, it reacts with calcium hydroxide to create a binder material that strengthens the product and reduces the embodied carbon of the concrete mix.

Other sustainable aspects of the construction process include replacing 57,000 gallons of diesel fuel used in heavy excavation equipment with R-99 biofuel derived from recycled cooking oil, and repurposing excavated rock for backfill and hardscaping. 

Once the entire Upper Science Hill Building Complex is complete (expected in 2030), the CSB, along with eight adjacent university buildings, will be heated and cooled by a geothermal borefield comprising 263 underground wells (drilled 850 feet deep) that connect to a new Thermal Utilities Plant. This energy generation process, which extracts heat from the ground to supply buildings in winter and rejects heat back to the ground to cool buildings in summer, is projected to reduce total energy use on Science Hill by 20%. The plant is part of the university’s plan to achieve zero-carbon status on campus by 2050.

The CSB not only enhances our immediate research support capabilities but also aligns with Yale’s long-term commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability.

As the Upper Science Hill Development enters its second phase of construction, the completion of the CSB sets the stage for a monumental building complex dedicated to leading-edge science and engineering. The space will be home to a robust quantum science, engineering, and materials ecosystem, advancing discoveries not only in quantum technologies but ultimately facilitating discovery through its core facilities across a range of scientific disciplines, including physical chemistry.