MIT Transforms Historic Warehouse into Modern Architecture School

📅 6 days ago

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has successfully converted the century-old Metropolitan Storage Warehouse into a vibrant educational facility for its School of Architecture and Planning, showcasing innovative design and adaptive reuse.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a pivotal institution in higher education and innovation, has unveiled a newly renovated home for its School of Architecture and Planning. The transformation of the historic Metropolitan Storage Warehouse, which has stood as a prominent landmark in Cambridge for over a century, has turned this once-utilitarian structure into a bright hub for teaching, research, and community engagement. The warehouse, measuring over 500 feet in length and five stories high, has undergone a significant metamorphosis, leading Professor John Ochsendorf to remark, "It’s almost inconceivable that this brick box, which was not designed for human habitation but to store objects, has been opened up."
The architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) led this ambitious project, which reimagined the “Met,” as it was known, originally built in 1894 and expanded through four additions by 1911, ultimately reaching its current form in 1923. MIT acquired the building in 1962, but by 2015, it had ceased its original function as a storage facility. DS+R purposefully preserved many of the Met’s original brick features, paying homage to its storied past. The firm described the building's character, stating, "It evoked the safety and security of a fortress, with its two-foot-thick walls, corner tower, crenellated corbeled cornices, and small slit windows," highlighting its historical significance as a “fireproof” stronghold for valuable items owned by Boston’s elite.
The revitalized structure is celebrated as a remarkable achievement in architecture and engineering, characterized by innovative “adaptive reuse.” MIT announced that the project aims for LEED Gold certification, reflecting a commitment to sustainable design. The transformation is particularly noteworthy given the vision articulated in the late 2010s by Hashim Sarkis, Dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning, and his team, who envisioned a dedicated space for architecture, design, and planning at the institution. Sarkis noted, "This is a big statement on the part of MIT," emphasizing the significance of adapting a historic building for future educational needs.
Designing the building to be a functional space for human use while respecting the historical façade posed a formidable challenge for DS+R. The firm acknowledged the obstacles presented by the MET's original design, which prioritized storage over human habitation. The building featured low floor-to-floor heights, a tight column grid, and an absence of windows, resulting in dark and inhospitable spaces. To overcome these challenges, DS+R employed a variety of “cutting strategies,” which included incising, coring, and dismantling portions of the structure. These methods allowed for the introduction of modern open academic spaces while maintaining structural integrity.
The architects explained that by removing parts of the heavy masonry floor system, they significantly reduced the structural load on the existing columns and wood piles, allowing for the installation of lightweight modern floor slabs suspended from beams supported by these columns. This careful manipulation of the building’s internal structure was integral to creating the desired high-ceiling studio spaces. DS+R intentionally exposed historical elements of the building, allowing students to engage with the layers of history and the adaptive reuse process.
The project retained iconic features such as the building’s fortress-like corner towers and crenellated cornices, while larger windows were added to the thick walls, creating a series of light-filled voids. The interior now encompasses 119,000 square feet of diverse spaces, including makerspaces, academic areas, research facilities, and community spaces, distributed across five interconnected blocks referred to as “neighborhoods.”
The design incorporates long-span stacks of studios suspended from the roof, breaking down the scale of the massive structure. The surrounding areas are utilized for offices, meeting rooms, and classrooms, fostering collaboration among the four departments that comprise MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. The formal dedication of this new facility is set for October 1, marking a significant milestone that illustrates the potential for revitalizing outdated buildings into vibrant educational environments.

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