Beneath layers of renovations of MIT’s historic Building 4, we found something quietly extraordinary—massive planks of lumber, once part of a mezzanine, weathered by age and use. A good wood plank will catch any architect’s eye; we immediately began brainstorming ways to reuse and reinsert this incredible material back into the project as part of our 18,000sf renovation to insert high-performance lab spaces.
We saw not just material, but story—of place, of craft, and past use. What followed was a journey: from reclamation to study models and full-scale steel joint studies. What resulted was a 14-foot conference table of reclaimed wood and steel, designed and fabricated in-house.
Old floors, now foundations for conversation and collaboration.
#artofmaking #designalways #adaptivereuse #fabrication #MITarchitecture