A long, fortress-like brick landmark on the Cambridge riverfront has a new job. MIT has opened the Met Warehouse as the new home of its School of Architecture and Planning, transforming the former Metropolitan Storage Warehouse into a teaching, research, and public engagement hub.
The building first opened in 1894 and was completed in 1923. It stretches more than 500 feet and rises five stories, and it once held about 1,500 storage spaces. MIT acquired the property in 1962, and by 2015 it was no longer used for storage. The conversion effort started in the late 2010s, with Diller Scofidio + Renfro leading design and Shawmut Design and Construction managing renovation work.
The updated Met Warehouse includes large studio spaces, expanded windows, four major segments of glass walls, and building-long walkways that overlook work areas on all five floors. The plan also adds shared spaces, including an auditorium and galleries, with the goal of bringing multiple architecture and planning programs into one connected campus hub.
For mason contractors, one of the most telling parts of the story is how much of the original building remains visible. The architects describe an approach that balances what was already there with new “extractions” and cuts to bring in light and create new spaces. The City of Cambridge had to approve major exterior changes because the building is historically listed, including new glass wall sections on the north side. On the south side, the team preserved many of the old storage units and redesigned them as offices with a new “skin” of windows.
Adaptive reuse projects like this don’t just keep a familiar brick building in the neighborhood. They also put the existing structure on display, showing students, designers, and the public how older construction can be adapted instead of replaced.
Read the full, original article from MIT News here.