MIT.nano received a Merit Award in the New Building category in the annual SCUP Excellence Awards program.
Located at the heart of campus, MIT.nano consolidates campus nanotechnology, materials, and engineering systems into a single research building to maximize collaboration and nanoscale research in health, energy, computing, and other emerging fields. The building includes class 100 and 1,000 cleanrooms, imaging suites, makerspace, and chemistry teaching laboratories.
Architecturally, MIT.nano is designed as a stone box, housing the labs at the core, wrapped with a glass veil. The building responds to the campus’ iconic Great Dome in massing, scale, and material, creating a visual dialogue between old and new with the stone and glass exterior.
Additionally, the building integrates into the Infinite Corridor, a central spine connecting the campus’ main buildings, departments, classrooms, and labs. A courtyard on the south side of the building—the Improbability Walk—honors late MIT Professor Emerita Mildred Dresselhaus, a pioneer in solid-state physics and nanoscale engineering.
A variety of plantings, seating, and garden lighting provide a tranquil setting for the campus community.
“It is exciting to walk through MIT.nano,” said Dennis Grimard, Managing Director of Operations, MIT.nano. “The architecture is beautiful, the labs among the most sophisticated in the world. The visual connection between interior and exterior spaces reinforces a dialogue between the building program and the wider community. Our exceptional team—from administrative leadership to architects—delivered an extraordinary building to take us into the future.”
Since opening in 2018, MIT.nano has received recognition for design, sustainability, and advancing nanoscale research. The building has previously been awarded the AIA COTE Top Ten Award, the R&D World International Lab of the Year Award, the AIA Education Facility Design Award, the I2SL Go Beyond Award, and a BSA Design Award.
About the Award
The SCUP Excellence Awards program recognizes outstanding campus Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture. The award jurors will highlight the winners at the SCUP Annual Conference, July 24 – 26, 2022, in Long Beach, California.