At “the 100 building”—which is physically linked to MIT by a glass atrium—Novartis has already opened the first wave of its new research.

And besides the 100 building and the two major research universities in the city, Necco’s neighborhood has other perks—it is just across the river from several of the Northeast’s strongest hospitals and it is part of a tide of a biotech hub growing in Cambridge.

The 100 building is just around the corner from the Whitehead Institute, one of the major contributors to the finalized human genome map completed earlier this month.

At the 100 building, amidst boxes and newly assembled furniture, the design principles that will characterize the new lab space are already being put into effect.

The aesthetic looks like a cross between a 70s dance floor and Star Wars, with neon blue lights illuminating stainless steel structures and bamboo floors.

“Traditionally, a lot of labs are closed in and isolated,” says Steele. “The prevailing notion is that a scientist is a solitary person sitting at their bench. But these labs make that impossible.”

Even more deliberate are the gathering spots or “cafés,” positioned at intervals between the lab rooms. Food, coffee and computers are strategically positioned to draw scientists out of their labs.

“I call it disco-science,” Steele says. “These areas need to be at the crossroads, where everyone has to walk through.”

The café areas, the architects say, will be around-the-clock meeting areas.

The designs include plans for a 24-hour global conferencing centers, with plasma screens linking the Cambridge labs to those of Novartis’ other research departments in Switzerland.

“These people work during all 24 hours of the day,” says Eric Hollenburg, who is one of the principle architects. “If its midnight in Boston, its 7 a.m. in Basel. We want them to be able to walk into the cyber café and strike up a conversation with another scientist halfway around the globe.”

Steele estimates that the finishing touches on the 100 building will be completed by December, and the Necco factory will be done soon after.

Meanwhile, the candy factory is being readied.

Novartis picked the Necco building because a renovation would be faster than building from the ground up.

The high ceilings and thick concrete floors of the factory make its ideal for lab equipment. But transforming an ancient candy factory into a state-of-the-art research facility will by no means be easy.