Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT.nano
Project site: Brownfield
Building program type(s): Education - College/University (campus-level), Laboratory
MIT.nano is one of the largest commitments to research in MIT’s history. The research within aims to address some of humanity’s greatest challenges, from sustainable energy to clean water to finding a cure for cancer. Located steps from the iconic Infinite Corridor and the Great Dome, it is home to a cluster of world-class laboratories, including class 100 and 1,000 cleanrooms, imaging suites, MIT.nano-makerspace, and chemistry teaching laboratories.
The team set a high bar: to achieve best-in-class performance in three major green building categories.
- Design to maximize safety and occupant well-being while enhancing opportunities for innovation and interaction within the campus community.
- Provide for a high degree of flexibility and resilience, including additional load capacity, to help ensure a long, useful life for the building.
- Advance state-of-the-art practices for energy-efficient, high-performance cleanroom design and achieve unprecedented overall sustainability for a building of this type.
Achieving LEED Platinum certification required an integrated sustainability approach that included community engagement, focus on water conservation and stormwater management, resiliency in anticipating flooding and program changes, and wellness and safety of all users, especially within the hazardous environment of a cleanroom. Due to the intensive energy use inherent in a cleanroom with up to 260 air changes/hour, a massive focus was placed on energy use reduction.
By reusing an existing brownfield building site, MIT.nano revitalized a major precinct at the heart of the campus, transforming what was a service yard into an accessible and inspiring landscape that includes public art.
By investing in a shared core facility, MIT eliminated duplication of expensive tools and processes across the campus while maximizing collaboration and engagement across disciplines.
MIT.nano’s design is highly transparent, inviting the community to observe the research within while placing the efficient systems that serve it poetically on display.
