Project name: The Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard
Project overview: This institute, bridging research from three leading academic and medical institutions, unites researchers at the forefront of eradicating infectious diseases such as HIV-AIDS and SARS/COVID. Located on an academic campus, the new 323,000 GSF home occupies a freestanding triangular site on Main Street in Cambridge, located in a bustling corridor between major city landmarks.
Cantilevered dramatically on 3 corners, the design approach embraced the triangular site as a singular object by floating the mass above landscape on all sides. The building navigates the gateway site and its varying alignments with the gentle sweep of its mass, while a green roof slopes downward three stories around the block. The elliptical Courtyard Sweep carved into the mass further scales the profile and provides a dynamic silhouette along Main Street; it is an extension of the organically shaped atrium that defines the heart of the institute.
The exterior palette and form stand in contrast to the hard-edged cacophony of Kendall Square’s typical corporate architecture. Counterintuitively, the building inflects back from adjoining Main Street façades to define a new Urban Forest. A minimalist exterior is distinctly soft and light, clad with a vertical array of scalloped sunshades wrapping this performance driven façade. Framing gently tapering apertures, these exterior elements respond to changes in program and orientation, masking the mechanical spaces while conveying a sculptural sense of movement. The matte, textured finish alludes to the solid materiality of the historic buildings at the three partner institutions, yet with substantially lower carbon impact than traditional materials.
Project location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Firm name: PAYETTE
Completion: 2024
Client: The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard
Jury comments: The institute’s dramatic cantilevers, sculptural sun-shaded façade, and sweeping green roof transform a constrained triangular site into a bold civic landmark. Deeply sustainable, all-electric, daylight-rich labs and 15,000+ SF of new public landscape set a benchmark for high-performance research facilities. Wonderful interiors, well-detailed, and a great attitude to the public realm create a building that contrasts beautifully with typical office/research projects.
Images/Photographers: Robert Benson Photography, Warren Jagger Photography Project/Construction Manager: Consigli Construction Civil Engineer: Bristol Engineering Structural: Arup Mechanical: Arup Acoustics: Acentech Audio Visual: AVH Technology Partners Lighting: Arup Sustainability: The Green Engineer Envelope: Studio NYL Geotechnical: Haley & Aldrich Vertical Conveyance: VDA Energy Modeler: Arup Food Service Consultant: Colburn Guyette Parking: Walker Consultants Wind Dispersion: CPP Wind Engineering Consultants Childcare: StudioMLA
