Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Size
360,000 gsf

Services
Program verification
Feasibility Study
Lab Planning and Design
Architecture

Certifications
LEED Gold

The first interdisciplinary cancer research facility of its kind, the Koch Institute building brings together Biologists focused on understanding the disease at a molecular level and Engineering faculty interested in solving cancer-related problems. The building’s design concept—developed by Ellenzweig in collaboration with the Institute’s faculty—provides a high-quality research environment affording long-term flexibility that is conducive to researcher interaction and sharing of key support spaces.

More than 450 researchers conduct their work in the building, supported by research and core laboratories, lab support, vivarium, conference facilities, meeting spaces, cafeteria, offices, and administrative functions. The core laboratories in the building number more than a dozen and comprise the Swanson Biotechnology Center, which provides technology and expertise to the Koch Institute community, labs across the MIT campus, and neighboring research institutes.

The building expresses a contemporary identity for the Koch Institute while harmonizing the material palette and massing with the existing campus setting; it frames new entries to the campus with a view to MIT’s iconic Great Dome. Windows along one of Cambridge’s main thoroughfares create a feeling of openness to passersby and the Cambridge community. A street-level gallery is open to the public, inviting Cambridge residents and visitors to experience exhibits and displays that feature the work of the researchers.

The building was the first research building on campus to achieve LEED Gold Certification.

…a building that represents the culmination of this wonderful new architecture of science laboratories, with views and light, a place where people can spend 16 hours a day engaged in work they are passionate about, with the kind of organization that promotes the interaction that makes modern science work optimally.

Harold Varmus, MD, Former Director

National Cancer Institute