Client: MIT
Location: 84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA
Architect: Gensler

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Project Description:

Originally constructed by Wexler Construction Company in 1963, the brutalist student center had only undergone one significant renovation in the 1980’s to reconfigure the internal stair and allow light to shine into the building via the atrium.  More than forty years later the center was due to be reimagined as a nexus of student activity and connection, a center for well-being, performance, healthy eating, and community building. 

The scope of work included the renovation to all four floors including the reconfiguration and construction of a monumental new staircase. The fourth floor features a Well-Being Lab with formal and informal meeting spaces, classrooms that serve as active learning program space, peer-to-peer instruction space, social engagement and lounge. The fourth floor caters to dance and movement with two large-scale dance studios.

Photo Credits: Merrill Shea Photography