“It’s going to be much less space and much more difficult,” Meselson said in January, when preparations for the transition were underway.

But Foster expressed relief that MCB is nearly complete with a year-long process that has generated unease and distress across the department.

“MCB is going to have a big celebration and take a deep breath and relax,” Foster said.

Since the decision to vacate Fairchild was made last year, MCB members said that they have been coordinating with architects and physical resources officials from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences about the design of the new spaces.

Faculty members were consulted on the location of their new laboratories and chose the dates for their transfer so as to minimize interferences with their research.

“That was a long process,” Foster said.

“The page has turned at this point,” Dulac said. “We had our grief last year. We overcame it.”

—Staff writer Noah S. Rayman can be reached at nrayman@fas.harvard.edu.