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ALBANY, N.Y. -- SUNY Polytechnic Institute College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) newest building is open for business. It stands prominently overlooking Interstate 90 in Albany. The ZEN building is a 6-story, nearly 400,000 square foot, window-lined structure and is the college's newest building.

"ZEN is our Zero Energy Nano building and today it's our signature building on campus," said Pradeep Haldar, CNSE Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs.

ZEN is a mixed-use, clean energy facility. It will house businesses, meeting centers, and learning space and even generate its own power.

"This is absolutely a cutting-edge building. What you see in this facility, the equipment, the technologies, the design elements that are being used here have not been done before," Haldar said.

Several businesses have already moved in, including global engineering company M+W Group, which moved its headquarters from Texas. Their office space will have about 200 employees. Retail software technology company Commerce Hub will also call the space home.

CNSE anticipated the nearly $200 million building will attract more than 1,500 well-paying jobs to the region.

"It demonstrates, for the first time in one of our northeast climate conditions, the fact that we can build such a large facility that's zero energy," Haldar said.

Haldar said ZEN is one of largest buildings in world with a zero energy designation, and also features equipment donated from the Japanese government.

ZEN features a unique donut-shape dome that allows more light in, it has a smart lighting system that can turn on and off via sensors, and it reuses the energy it gives off.

CNSE leaders said they have high hopes the new ZEN building is where the next great innovation in clean energy comes from.

"In terms of implementing commercial technologies not just in New York but across the country, I would say yes, the technology would be emerging from here for sure," said Haldar.

By Jon Dougherty Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 05:00 AM EDT