MIT West Campus Graduate Residence

Buildings W87 and W88 will provide much needed on-campus housing for MIT graduate student families. This project packs 676 new beds on a narrow site on Vassar Street, directly adjacent to the famed Simmons Hall. The two new buildings flank a central green space serving as the gateway to the Fort Washington Historic District and Park. Despite the monumental size, these buildings strive to maintain pedestrian friendliness along Vassar Street through a series of small-scale moves.

My Role

I helped carry the design from Concept to the midpoint of Construction Documentation. Our newly assembled team switched to work from home almost immediately after project kickoff in March 2020, so I helped shape remote workflows and adoption of new digital tools. My contributions included:

• Rapid iteration of massing concepts within strict site constraints using Grasshopper scripts

• Design development of building envelope following feedback loop with fabricators

• Creation of renderings and presentation graphics

• Guidance of team BIM workflows and representation strategies

• Documentation of exterior wall details