The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ray and Maria Stata Center for computer information and intelligence science is to be completed for the fall of 2003. The facility will house the Laboratory for Computer Science, the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Laboratory for Information Decision Systems, the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, a below grade service facility and 2 levels of below grade parking. 

The building is being designed by Frank O. Gehry and Associates of Santa Monica, California, to "encourage interaction among a broad group of occupants in the center but,  also serve as a hub of student activity; a model for innovative, technologically-supported education; and a modern incubator for new ideas and technology, providing significant flexibility for multiple uses." 

Precedents

• large glass façades permit views into the slightly elevated lab spaces.

• the first two floors provide "warehouse" space and have very high ceilings. Focused to accommodate large projects, this space has partitions between labs and offices which are easily moveable to create flexibility for changing spaces.

• high ceilings, skylights, and light shafts bring natural light into the
  building. 

• Infinite Corridor system extends the MIT sense of interior street.

• Large skylights keep it well lit and welcoming, and windows provide views into the neighboring research spaces. 

• The "incubator" space located in the service facility level accommodates a variety of research projects, which do not have a "home" in other spaces 

• A large service facility is located underground and is also attached via the tunnel system to other buildings on campus,  continuing the network of interior connections. 

• Each of the two towers provides a mix of offices, labs, and collaborative spaces organized into neighborhoods. Each has a wing which focuses on north-facing, double-height lab spaces, in addition to containing more traditional, single-story office spaces on the south side. The double-height spaces bring light into the interior and serve as both visual and actual connectors between the floors, extending the sense of neighborhood vertically as well as horizontally. 

• Conference rooms, lounges, and informal meeting areas provide additional opportunities for interaction. 

• A common space is located at the third-floor level. It
  includes a café, reading room, three seminar rooms, and an outdoor terrace linking the various groups housed in each of the towers. This space is focused inward toward those users of the building.

   plans