MIT Maker Space

Cambridge, MA

The firm served as the Architect of Record during Schematic and Design Development phases of a new multipurpose residential, academic, and MIT community programmed adaptive reuse of the famed Metropolitan Warehouse building. A large component of the first level of the project was a new 17,000 square foot “makerspace” or creative lab space to serve the MIT community as a whole, and to provide a new central hub for the MIT network of maker labs dispersed throughout the campus. The TAT design team was responsible for negotiating the highly complex intersection of concerns across the many stakeholders regarding this proposed new space – balancing the concerns of transparency, accessibility to all students, prioritizing a safe working environment, fostering a creative and inclusive community, and collaborating with outside designers to achieve a notable, inventive and inspired design aesthetic.

The space is designed to offer many laboratory-like discrete spaces for working with metals, wood, plastics, et al; each requiring specific mechanical, structural, and security solutions to achieve the client’s goals throughout. The result was a succinct design strategy of an open central gathering and co-working space which serves to organize the more specific machine and laboratory spaces around the perimeter. This allows the staff to easily see and hear various concurrent activities and provide any necessary support as well as contribute to the collaborative environment which has a great benefit to the students.

  • SERVICE

    Architecture

    Interior Design

  • TYPE

    Academic | Athletic + Community Centers

    Historic Preservation | Restoration + Adaptive Reuse

    Healthcare | Science + Technology

  • CLIENT
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • SIZE
    300,000 sf
  • STATUS
    Conceptual Design