CAMBRIDGE, MA—Massachusetts Institute of Technology plans to upgrade its Building 54, one of the tallest buildings in Cambridge. MIT has already passed the midway point on its $30 million fundraising campaign. The total cost of the project is $60 million, according to MIT News and MIT publication Spectrum.
Rising nearly 300 feet from the ground, the Cecil and Ida Green Building, aka Building 54, was designed by the late I.M. Pei about five decades ago.
“This is the headquarters of MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), and plans are now underway to give Building 54 a major facelift, including a new LEED-certified addition that will offer a window into the important work taking place inside,” Spectrum reported.
A number of groundbreaking work is carried out inside the building such as the development of chaos theory, seismic tomography, numerical weather prediction, climate modeling, and far-reaching NASA missions, Spectrum said.
“The $60 million upgrade will allow construction of an Earth and Environment Pavilion designed to be a vital center for environmental and climate research on MIT’s campus,” Spectrum said, adding that with assistance from the Institute and generous private donors, EAPS recently passed the midway point on its $30 million fundraising campaign for the new pavilion and other improvements to the Green Building.
Spectrum said that the project will yield about 12,000 square feet of additional space, providing new meeting places, classrooms, and study areas.
“The enlarged and revamped Green Building is expected to help EAPS attract and retain top faculty and students,” Spectrum said. “But the more ambitious objective is to enhance the research undertaken within the department by co-locating EAPS and the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program with the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, affording greater opportunities for interaction and the cross-pollination of ideas.”
