A new face on things

Construction on the new experimental area/office expansion is proceeding apace; nearly every morning, workers brave the several inches of snow they have to slog through to get to the construction site. This morning, I noticed the brick facing on the new area; it's made up of large grayish-bluish-purplish bricks, which makes for an interesting contrast with the red brick of the rest of the building. I wonder what the completed building will look like; somehow, simulated pictures are never quite the same as the real thing. I'm pretty impressed overall by the aesthetic sense of whoever has been in charge of lab infrastructure over the years, so I imagine it'll be cool-looking. I really like the look of the lab as it is now--there's no place in the building I consider to be ugly, which is really saying something! Even the Data-Us aren't sterile-looking (despite being in shades of gray), which is wonderful, since experimenters spend a lot of time there. The atrium is amazing--plants! Living things! A giant mural of the cyclotrons (including a PID plot on a painted computer screen)! A huge transparent roof which lets you watch the snow fall straight down without getting snow in your eyes! I never imagined a science lab would have a room like that. Either this place is really special, or I had a lot of silly stereotypes about science facilities which needed addressing. Apart from all the other reasons, I'm glad I'm here getting this new perspective on what scientists are like.