The new Ezra Taft Benson Science Building on the BYU campus, just south of the Eyring Science Center, is not flashy.

From the outside, only a semi-circular, one-level study hall protruding from the north side of the west wing breaks up the overall rectangular look of the building that houses the university's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.Inside, the office and classroom areas are simple in design and decor.

The parts of the building where the labs are located have a utilitarian look - concrete floors, cinder-block and concrete walls. Everything above the floor is bright white, giving a clean, almost sterile look. Looking down the ground-floor hall of the four-story central wing brings to mind a setting appropriate for a futuristic science fiction movie.

But despite its simplicity of design, the facility is state-of-the-art. Teaching stations and laboratories take advantage of technologically advanced media and computer systems as well as other scientific research equipment and facilities.

The new building is extremely popular among students, especially those who have been around for a while. Previously, they met in scattered labs and classrooms that were basically thrown together over the years as facilities fell behind technology.

"There is so much more space here and it's safer," said Rebecca Smith, a biochemistry major from Portland, Ore. She was one of several students who helped Francis R. Nordmeyer, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department chairman, conduct a pre-dedication tour of the building for the Church News.

"It was built for efficiency and safety," Brother Nordmeyer said, which explains why, for example, some floors are bare concrete but lead into well-equipped labs that are elaborately built to minimize risks and hazards. The building meets regulations dictated by entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Provo City.

All the students on the tour, including Lisa Sandberg, a chemistry major from Ogden, Utah; Cara Bradford, a graduate student in organic chemistry from Mapleton, Utah; Donald Lee, a graduate student in biochemistry from Hong Kong; and Matt Madsen, a graduate student in biochemistry from Shelley, Idaho, expressed a lot of pride in the building. As Clara put it, it helps establish BYU's chemistry program as one of the best in the country.

General interest in BYU's student chemistry society has definitely increased since the building opened, according to Lisa who is the society's president.

Donald said students benefit because the department is all under one roof and they are provided with plenty of study areas. Matt said graduate students benefit from having their own offices rather than just a desk in the corner of a laboratory.

The students agreed it is much more convenient to have facilities for the various branches of chemistry - such as organic, analytical, bio-chemical - grouped together.

Brother Nordmeyer said that 4,000-5,000 students will enroll each semester for classes, mostly in chemistry, in the 192,200-square-foot building. It includes a study area, three lecture halls, 12 classrooms, three conference rooms, 110 offices and 80 laboratories. The building, which has west, central and east wings, will also be used for classes in disciplines outside chemistry and for religion classes. On Sundays, several BYU wards will use the building for meetings.

Department offices along the south side of the building are comfortable and conveniently arranged for students, faculty and staff. A conference room in the center provides a magnificent view of the south end of Utah Valley through large windows.

Two lecture halls of 250 seats each and one with 162 seats provide a modern, convenient learning station for students. Rows with terraced, amphitheater-style seating are spaced far enough apart for students to pass through without unduly disturbing others. Acoustics are improved by carpeting and baffled walls. The lecture halls include multi-media facilities that integrate computers, overhead video projectors and slide projectors. The projectors can be operated by the teacher at the front of the room or can be computerized. That, according to Brother Nordmeyer, is a great improvement over old facilities where the teacher had to arrange for manual operation of projection equipment.

The study hall in the rotunda on the north end of the building has been popular with students, Brother Nordmeyer said. "They can study with others and talk; it's not like a library."

Three computer labs allow students to receive tutorial help and do their schoolwork. Brother Nordmeyer said that the computers are more accessible than they were before consolidation of the department into one building.

Teaching labs are built with an "emphasis on fun," according to Brother Nordmeyer. He said teachers can tell students, "I'm a chemist and I can do this," and now with the teaching labs, they can add, "but you can do it too."

Surrounded by safety features and proper equipment, students new to chemistry can confidently perform experiments that are already set up. The labs, one with two work islands and five with three islands, have several work stations and are spacious and open. Students can move around without running into obstacles or other students, and teaching assistants and others can clearly observe most activities.

One example of the state-of-the-art lab equipment described by Brother Nordmeyer are fume hoods in laboratory storage cabinets. "The fume hoods in our labs provide 100 feet-per-second of air flow and are designed to respond to the setting of the fume hood doors," he said. "This saves on energy, since the hoods run only as fast as they need to."

Waste water from the building passes through a limestone filtration system before it enters the city water system and gas cylinders in the building are generally housed in closed and monitored cabinets and are almost impossible to tip over. Shut-off valves for piped-in gas and fluids are conveniently accessible just outside laboratory doors so spills and other problems can be isolated.

Along with teaching labs, there are labs on other floors that are more specialized for use by majors and graduate students.

Along with modern facilities and equipment, the new science building is spacious enough to accommodate technological advances in the future.

"It improves teaching and research facilities immensely," said Brother Nordmeyer. "It will allow us to attract good people - faculty and students - to come here and do research."

With the completion of the Benson building, the Eyring Science Center has been closed for a two-year renovation project.