Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex, Building 46

The new Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex is the largest neuroscience center in the world, integrating three pioneering institutions devoted to revealing the mysteries of the brain.

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BCS Complex exterior photo

Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex, Building 46

43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA

Status: Complete

Themes: Innovation and collaboration
Sustainability
Enhancement of life and learning

Completion: 2005

The new Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex is the largest neuroscience center in the world, integrating three pioneering institutions devoted to revealing the mysteries of the brain.

Overview

BCS Complex exterior photo
BCS Complex lobby photo
BCS Complex exterior photo
BCS Complex lab photo
BCS Complex lobby photo
BCS Complex atrium photo
BCS Complex atrium photo
BCS Complex classroom photo

Status

Complete

Completion Date

2005

Themes and priorities

Innovation and collaboration
Sustainability
Enhancement of life and learning

MIT’s extensive Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex is an exemplar of collaborative design – and is designed to inspire further collaboration.

Developed by two architecture firms working together, the complex reflects the extraordinary vision of the lead designer, Charles Correa, and the exceptional design of laboratories and research spaces by Goody, Clancy and Associates. The largest neuroscience center in the world, this interdisciplinary research and teaching facility now integrates three pioneering institutions pursuing crucial discoveries: The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory.

A triumph of urban design and engineering, the LEED Silver-certified complex sits on top of an active freight rail corridor and is built around a soaring five-story atrium. Classrooms, offices, conference rooms, wet and dry laboratories, imaging centers, libraries, tearooms, an auditorium, and a five-story atrium coexist with—and contribute to—the life of the surrounding community. In addition, the new trees, lighting, paving, and bicycle lanes surrounding this complex have helped revitalize this formerly run-down section of Vassar Street.

Image credits

Andy Ryan and courtesy Turner Construction

Details

Address

43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA

Renewal Status

Complete

School or Unit

School of Science (SoS)

Use

Academic

Project Team

Architects: Charles Correa, lead designer, Mumbai, India; Goody, Clancy and Associates, Boston, MA
Construction manager: Turner Construction Co., Boston, MA
MIT team: Arne Abramson, Milan Pavlinic

Scope

411,000 gsf

Design Features

  • 90-foot-high atrium
  • Auditorium and seminar rooms
  • State-of-the-art research laboratories
  • Teaching laboratories and student lounges

Sustainable Design Elements

  • Achieved nearly a 70 percent reduction in potable water use
  • Gray-water recycling for toilets
  • Storm water management to improve the health of the Charles River
  • Heat recovery methods for HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems
  • Variable air volume (VAV) system and right sizing of HVAC equipment to reduce energy use
  • Efficient lighting design, controls, and daylight controls
  • Light pollution reduction
  • Low emitting materials including low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints, adhesives and sealants
  • Recycled content and regional materials
  • High-performance exterior materials
  • Construction waste management plan for recycling and salvaging waste

Awards

LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, 2008—the first building on campus to be LEED certified.

Map

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