SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Sunlight shines through tall windows split by panels of thin, brushed aluminum that resemble futuristic Venetian blinds.

But instead of keeping the sun out, these panels reflect natural light deep into the $59-million biotechnology center at the University of Rhode Island, lessening the need for electric lights.

It is just one example of several energy- and water-conservation strategies used throughout the impressive 140,000-square-foot building, the centerpiece of URI’s expanding Kingston campus. Officials estimate that the environmentally friendly windows will end up saving URI $500,000 a year on electricity costs, compared with conventional buildings.

The biotechnology center, one of a handful of “green” certified buildings in the state, opened for classes last week and will have an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Governor Carcieri, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and several other state and education leaders are expected to attend.

Big hopes rest on this five-story brick building whose architecture echoes Slater Mill in Pawtucket, once the heart of the state’s manufacturing industry. URI officials say they believe the biotech center could play a similar role in Rhode Island’s 21st-century economy.

The center anchors a new health and life sciences quadrangle called the North District. Officials are breaking ground on a $65-million School of Pharmacy next to the biotech center this spring, and they plan to build a new chemistry building and School of Nursing.

One day, URI officials hope a research and technology park that would foster spin-off companies will be built across Flagg Road from the North District.

“This is really the beginning of a whole new era for the University of Rhode Island,” said Robert A. Weygand, the university’s vice president of administration. “When people walk into this building, they say ‘Wow, look at this. I’ve never seen labs like this.’ They understand that we are not a sleepy little school down in Kingston, but a cutting-edge research institution.”

Designed by Boston-based architectural firm Payette Associates, which specializes in scientific research facilities, the biotech center is one of the most expensive buildings ever built at URI, and has faced its share of controversy. Notably, the building’s top floor remains unfinished, as URI has been unable to raise the last $5 million from private sources after it became clear the center would cost $9 million more than originally planned.

Nevertheless, most of the classrooms, research laboratories and teaching laboratories are complete, says Jeffrey R. Seeman, dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. About 35 faculty members and their research teams that now are spread across campus will start moving into the new building over the next several weeks and, for the first time, be able to collaborate, Seeman said.

State and university officials say the $50 million in taxpayer-approved bonds was well spent, as the center will not only train future cellular and molecular biologists, nurses and pharmacists, but will be used by all URI students who take an introductory biology course. Landscape architects and wetlands and conservation biologists will also use the facility.

Just as important, they say, the center provides URI faculty with top-notch research facilities that could give birth to innovations that spur the region’s ailing economy and encourage more biotechnology companies to relocate here.

The center contains a 300-seat auditorium, a 100-seat lecture hall, multiple teaching labs, several smaller classrooms and a student-affairs office where students can meet with academic advisers. The first floor has an aquaria lab for testing and research of saltwater fish, and the state’s only bio-safety level-3 lab, used to study Lyme disease and other illnesses.

“Brown University doesn’t have a bio-safety level-3 lab, the state Department of Health doesn’t have one,” Seeman said. “We have the only one and we expect others will want to come here to use ours.”

Stairs are central to the building’s design. The main staircase is open, framed by long threads of stainless steel intended to mimic the helix of DNA. Elevators are pushed to the sides of the building, to encourage students and faculty to burn calories on their way to class.

The spacious building features dark gray porcelain tiles interspersed with aluminum strips on the floor, and enormous panels of honey-colored maple on several walls. The wood was harvested from sustainable forests, said Richard C. Rhodes, associate dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, who oversaw the project. Other walls are covered in muted, textured sage green fabric or painted a soft white or blue-gray. The urinals in the men’s bathrooms use no water, saving 1.3 gallons per flush. The high efficiency heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems use less power than traditional systems. Many offices and classrooms feature windows people can open, to let in fresh air.

At the back of the building is a rain garden, a landscaped area surrounding a small pond. Rainwater is collected on the roof and funneled down the sides of the building into the pond, where it eventually returns to a nearby aquifer.

An outdoor terrace at the top of the building is framed by plants donated by the state’s horticultural industry.

“Green buildings interact with their environment and make it better,” Seeman said.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the facility is the variety and number of informal gathering spaces scattered throughout. Several floors have wide expanses of maple benches built into long walls. Spare, streamlined sofas and armchairs cluster in corners. Kitchenettes are tucked at the ends of corridors, an open invitation for researchers and students to make a cup of tea and sit for a chat.

“The whole idea here is we want this to be a place where students will come and stay, not rush in and out,” Seeman said. “Modern academic buildings are not just about classrooms and labs. They are a way to bring people together.”

jjordan@projo.com