Renewing the Campus

Presented by the MIT Department of Facilities

Look around, and you’ll see that MIT’s campus is brimming with remarkable buildings – many designed by significant architects, and many that have achieved iconic status. As these landmarks endure and age, MIT’s program of capital renewal enables them to persist and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. After all, MIT’s teaching, research, and learning activities help solve the world's greatest problems—and our physical facilities must be up to the task.

1_CapRenewal_Maseeh Chris Brown 20111014-0021.jpg

The capital renewal team’s work is guided by a strategic assessment of renovation needs and academic program planning, based on comprehensive studies and condition reports of buildings and systems. Project priority is determined by whether a building, lab, or other physical space is able to adequately support the occupants as they advance MIT’s mission. Working cooperatively with partners across the campus, the team creates and implements programs of renovation and renewal ranging from system upgrades and efficiency measures to whole building interventions.

Recent capital renewal projects have included Eero Saarinen’s marvelous MIT Chapel and beloved Kresge Auditorium, the historic Arthur D. Little Building (E60), the Morris and Sophie Chang Building (E52, once the Lever Brothers Administration Building and now home to the Sloan School), Fariborz Maseeh Hall (W1, formerly Ashdown House), and key sections of the Main Group, including Building 2 and the Great Dome in Building 10.

Next - Chapter 3: Powering Innovation

_{Photo: Renovated lobby of Fariborz Maseeh Hall, by Chris Brown}