The argument of this project can be situated between its urban and architectural context. The urban context is defined by Main Street which delineates the threshold between Cambridge and MIT communities. The larger project entailed a respect for the historic buildings of Main Street while introducing new civic structures that enhanced connectivity between the community and Charles River. One of the main challenges of the context involved the infrastructure of the Red Line, with the Kendall Square T stop located directly under the site. Allowing the station to function seamlessly during construction also contributed to the design strategy.
The architectural context, thus, involved the repurposing of existing underground structures that served the Red Line station. The subway environment also necessitated an overhaul of accessibility issues with ample stairs, escalators and elevators. These resulted in headhouses that speak to existing design standards as mandated by the MBTA. In tandem, the above ground environment is now defined by high-rise buildings which have surged beyond human scale, and part of the challenge was to provide a mediating scale in the form of a civic threshold: a gateway monumental from the human standpoint while still diminutive from the perspective of the new urban context.
Ultimately, this project involves a translation of an infrastructural context into an architectural one, adopting urban design techniques to create habitable spaces that bring two communities together.
NADAAA:
Principals: Nader Tehrani; Katherine Faulkner, AIA
Project Managers: Harry Lowd, RA; Tom Beresford
Team: Arthur Chang, AIA; Alex Diaz; Tim Wong, AIA; Nick Safley; Elias Bennett; Ali Sherif; Katie Solien; Ergys Hoxha; Luisel Zayas
Perkins&Will:
MIT Canopy
Robert Brown, Principal-In-Charge
Sandy Smith, Project Manager
Ramsey Bakhoum, Project Architect
Marko Goodwin, Specification Writer
Kendall / MIT MBTA Headhouse
Robert Brown, Principal-In-Charge
Sandy Smith, Project Manager
Ramsey Bakhoum, Project Architect
Marko Goodwin, Specification Writer
Wade Lewis
Matthew Pierce
Joshua Rathbun
Stephen Messinger
Ryan Kurlbaum
Jensen Ying
Philippe Genereux
Karim Wahba
Patrick Jones
Hajar Aldouri
Landscape Architecture: Hargreaves Jones
Structural Engineering: SGH, McNamara Salvia
MEP/FP: AHA Consulting Engineers
Lighting: SoSo Limited, Lam Partners
Code: Jensen Hughes
Civil: Nitsch Engineering
Geotech: McPhail Associates
MIT Graphics by Pentagram
Vertical Circulation: Van Deusen and Assoc (VDA).
Canopy Fabrication and Design Assist: Lyman-Morse
Canopy Composites Engineering: Al Horsmon, Naval Architect
Canopy Finite Element (FE) Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis: Doyle CFD
Building Performance (Wind / Snow Analysis): RWDI
Headhouse Enclosure, Fabrication and Design Assist: Linel and Ipswich Bay Glass
Waterproofing: SOCOTEC
CM: Turner Construction Company
Clients
MITIMCO
Benjamin Lavery
Associate Director
cell: (617) 429-6935
One Broadway, 9th floor, Suite 200 (E70) Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
blavery@mitimco.mit.edu
MBTA
Jen Mecca, Deputy Chief TOD
MBTA Transit-Oriented Development
jmecca@MBTA.com
857-289-1761
Contractor
Turner Construction
Greg Pease gpease@tcco.com and Van Duros vduros@tcco.com
2 Seaport Lane, Suite 200
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(617) 247-6400
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