Ray and Maria Stata Center

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The Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT is the product of the Institute’s desire to create a unique space on campus that would cater to the open atmosphere of creativity, learning, and ingenuity that they are known for. The site chosen for the Stata Center was originally home to Building 20, a “hastily erected” World War II building that was regarded as “…the womb of the Institute.” Professor Jerome Lettvin is quoted as referring to Building 20 as “…kind of messy, but… [he adds]… by God it is procreative!” ^{[1] [2]}

Contents 1 Building information 2 Building analysis 2.1 Detail analysis 3 References 3.1 Notes 3.2 Student contributions 4 External links 4.1 Additional resources

Building information

Designer: Frank O. Gehry

Program type: Academic Research Building/Student Center

Project budget: $283.5 million

Project Address:
32 Vassar Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

Google Map

Building analysis

Architect Frank Gehry wanted to further the feeling of Building 20 through the Stata Center… the casual nature… the ability to work collaboratively in flexible space… Gehry’s design intent for this building was to provide somewhat of a curving city-street as a main thoroughfare for students to interact and communicate. Chalkboards, seating areas, and a café abut this “boulevard.” Certain spaces are dedicated for group activities, and most of these consist of Gehry’s typical irregular shaped forms. Spaces for individual work and contemplation are above, rectilinear in form. Glazing on interior vertical surfaces allow for visual connections to occur between work spaces and sporadic groupings along the “student street” below.

Exposed bricks used in the Stata Center give it a feeling reminiscent of old-school Cambridge buildings and a sense of familiarity. This notion, juxtaposed against the abundance of gypsum, plywood, aluminum, corrugated metal, and concrete evokes a very non-fussy, industrial experience. Gehry’s use of exterior grade materials is reminiscent of the nature of Building 20. The mix of materials in addition to the tilts and angles is “a metaphor for the freedom, daring, and creativity of the research that's supposed to occur inside it.”^[3]

Detail analysis

The café wall located in the southeast wing of the Stata Center is a prime example of Gehry’s use of material and joinery in a way that references Building 20’s past. The base of the café wall, consisting of a framed box with plywood facing, exposes the rough plywood edges along its border. These exposed edges are indicative of Gehry’s use of such a basic, exterior grade material. He allows the rough edges to remain bare and unfinished in a non-sophisticated, very simple manner. Glass panels stand tall in the aforementioned plywood boxes, supported by custom brackets secured to the wood framing of the base. The glass panels display a pixilated font floating the word “café,” visible to passersby, as the facility is open to the public.

References

Notes

1. ↑ Garfinkel, Simpson. "Building 20: The Procreative Eyesore". Technology Review 94 (November/December 1991): MIT11.
2. ↑ Quotes and Stories about Building 20. MIT Libraries, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1998-03-02). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
3. ↑ Campbell, Robert. Boston Globe (April 25, 2004).

Student contributions

• Janna Frapart, Spring 2008

External links

Additional resources

• Joyce, Nancy E. "Building Stata: The Design and Construction of Frank O. Gehry's Stata Center at MIT". The MIT Press: Cambridge, 2004.