On Vassar Street in the heart of the MIT campus, MIT's Stephen A. Schwarzman School of Computing recently opened the doors to its new headquarters in Building 45. The building's central location and welcoming design will help form a new cluster of connectivity at MIT and allow the space to have a multifaceted role.
“The school has a broad mandate for computing across MIT,” says Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of MIT's Schwarzman School of Computing and Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The building is designed to be the IT crossroads of the campus. “It is a place to bring together a mix of people to connect, participate and catalyze collaborations in computing, and a home for a related set of computing research groups from multiple departments and laboratories.”
“Computing is the defining technology of our time and will continue to be so in the future,” says MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “As MIT people advance high-impact fields, from artificial intelligence to climate, this fantastic new building will enable collaboration in computer science, engineering, life sciences, economics, and many other fields, fostering the cross-pollination of ideas.” that inspire us. to generate new solutions. The university opened its doors at the right time.”
A physical incarnation
The building, an eight-story structure of approximately 178,000 square feet, is designed to be a physical embodiment of the triple mission of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing: strengthening computer science and artificial intelligence; infusing the cutting edge of computer science with disciplines across MIT; and advance the social, ethical and political dimensions of computing.
Geared for the university community and the public to enter and interact with the university, the first two floors of the building encompass multiple gathering areas, including a 60-seat classroom, a 250-seat conference room, and a variety of study spaces. and social interactions.
Academic activity has begun this semester both in the classroom and in the classroom with 13 classes for undergraduate and graduate students. Subjects include 6.C35/6.C85 (Interactive Data Visualization and Society), a class taught by faculty from the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and Urban Studies and Planning. The class was created as part of the Common Ground for Computer Science Educationa cross-university initiative that brings together several departments to develop and teach new courses and launch new programs that combine computing with other disciplines.
“The new university building not only meets educational and research needs, but also fosters broad community connections. It has been particularly exciting to see professors teaching classes in the building and the lobby filled with students on any given day, engrossed in their studies or simply enjoying the space while taking a break,” says Asu Ozdaglar, vice dean of MIT Schwarzman College. of Informatics and head of EECS.
The building will also house 50 computer science research groups, corresponding to the number of new faculty the university is hiring: 25 in core computer science positions and 25 in positions shared with MIT departments. These groups bring together a mix of new and existing teams in related research areas spanning floors four through seven of the building.
In mid-January, the initial two dozen research groups moved into the building, including faculty from EECS departments; Aeronautics and Astronautics; Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Mechanical Engineering; and Economics affiliated with the Computer Science and artificial intelligence Laboratory and the Information and Decision Systems Laboratory. The research groups form a coherent umbrella group in deep learning and generative ai, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, reinforcement learning, game theory methods, and social impact of ai.
More will follow suit, including some of the 10 teachers who have been hired in shared positions by the university with the departments of Cognitive and Brain Sciences; Chemical engineering; Comparative media studies and writing; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Music and Theater Arts; Mechanical Engineering; Nuclear Sciences and Engineering; Political Sciences; and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
“I eagerly anticipate the building's expanded opportunities, facilitating the development of even deeper connections that the university has established thus far across all five schools,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, chief innovation and strategy officer, dean of the School of Engineering and Vannevar Bush. Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Other university programs and activities supported by the building include the MIT Quest for Intelligence, the Center for Computational Science and Engineering, and the MIT-IBM Watson ai Lab. There are also areas dedicated to the dean's office, as well as cross-functional areas of the faculty: Social and ethical responsibilities of computingCommon Ground and Special Semester Topics in Computing, a new experimental program designed to bring together MIT researchers and visitors in a common space for a semester around areas of interest.
Additional spaces include conference rooms on the third floor that are available for use by any university unit. These rooms are accessible to both residents and non-residents of the building to host weekly group meetings or other computer-related activities.
For the broader MIT community, the building's main event space, along with three conference rooms, is available for meetings, events, and conferences. Located on the top floor of eight stories with stunning views of Cambridge and Boston and the Great Dome, the space event It's already in demand with reservations through next fall and has quickly become a popular destination on campus.
The university opened the event space during the January Independent Activities Period, welcoming students, faculty and visitors to the building to Expanding horizons in computing – a week-long series of boot camps, workshops, short talks, panels and roundtables. Hosted by several MIT professors, the series' 12 sessions delved into exciting areas of computer science and ai, with topics ranging from security, intelligence, and deep learning to design, sustainability, and policy.
Form and function
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the state-of-the-art space for education, research and collaboration took shape over four years of design and construction.
“When designing a new multifunctional building like this, I see my job as dean as ensuring that the building meets the functional needs of the university mission,” Huttenlocher says. “I think what has been most rewarding for me, now that the building is complete, is seeing how its form supports the wide range of intended functions.”
In keeping with MIT's commitment to environmental sustainability, the building is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Final review with the U.S. Green Building Council is moving toward a Platinum certification.
The glass tiles on the south-facing side of the building serve a dual purpose: they allow in abundant natural light and form a double-skin façade constructed of interlocking units that create a deep, sealed cavity, which is expected to significantly reduce energy consumption. of energy.
Other sustainability features include embodied carbon tracking, on-site stormwater management, fixtures that reduce indoor potable water use, and a large green roof. The building is also the first to use heat from a recently completed utility plant built above Building 42, which converted conventional steam-based distributed systems into more efficient hot water systems. This conversion significantly improves the building's ability to deliver more efficient medium temperature hot water throughout the premises.
Grand opening
TO dedication ceremony Construction of the building is scheduled for spring.
The momentous event will mark the completion and official opening of the new building and will celebrate the culmination of the hard work, commitment and collaboration to bring it to fruition.
It will also celebrate the 2018 founding gift that established the university from Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, the global financial services and asset management firm. Additionally, Sebastian Man '79, SM '80, the first donor to support the building after Schwarzman, will be recognized. The man's gift will be recognized with the naming of a key space in the building that will enrich the academic and research activities of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Institute.
