There’s a scene in Good Will Hunting when MIT math professor Gerald Lambeau enters his classroom to a packed room of students eager to find out who solved a near-impossible linear algebra problem that was spread across four interconnected blackboards. Though only a backdrop for this Oscar-winning film, MIT’s classrooms play a leading role when it comes to supporting teaching and learning at this world-class institution.

Located on 168 acres that extend more than a mile along the Cambridge side of the Charles River, MIT’s building portfolio comprises 13 million square feet, with 7.9 million dedicated to academic purposes. Jones has completed more than 60 projects for MIT since 2013; most recently that work has been dedicated to upgrading classrooms.

The school’s original buildings, known as the Main Group were constructed in 1916. These buildings were developed to meet a set of principles established by John Freeman, an MIT graduate and a prominent civil engineer in his day.

Sustainable Design Principles Ahead of The Times

Though preceding LEED by more than a century, the holistic guidelines that John Freeman developed are right in line with current sustainable design approaches – they set the foundation for MIT’s building philosophy and inform campus building design to this day.

• An abundance of window light and a flood of controlled ventilation and filtered air.
• Maximum economy in energy and time of students and instructors.
• Maximum economy in cost of efficient service in heating, ventilating, janitor service and general maintenance.
• Maximum resistance to fire, decay and wear.
• Maximum economy in cost of building per square foot of useful space.

Today, MIT continues to embrace these principles and is committed to incorporating sustainable design and energy efficiency into all of its building projects. Guiding all design is a very detailed and robust standards manual (volume 1 is 750+ pages). This focused and precise guide holds design teams to MIT’s high standards and pushes for the best possible outcomes for faculty, staff and students. It is by far the most precise set of criteria we’ve seen among the many institutions for which Jones has done classroom work. No surprise, given that MIT is best known for its engineering programs.

Beyond sustainability, the manual reinforces consistent application of standards that ingrain MIT’s culture throughout all classrooms. Two examples: exacting criteria for acoustics and lighting, not least because of an ethos that celebrates “the sage on the stage.” It is critical that professors be clearly seen, heard and documented optimally by video for remote learning and archiving.

Likewise, blackboards (never green chalkboards, never whiteboards) are nearly sacred, and janitorial staff is not to erase them until given the go ahead. MIT details how to mount them with flashing and borders that protect the surrounding walls from becoming damaged by the continual use of water that is required to clean them properly. (Here’s to you Will Hunting.)

These cases highlight MIT’s precise classroom requirements that have evolved over decades of a centralized system — unlike many other clients, where each department or school takes on its classroom projects independently.

And MIT classroom standards do evolve. The university takes the long view on upgrades, choosing to make significant investments in a few classrooms at a time. As such, the changes they make are carefully considered.

Take the trend toward more breakouts with students. Jones has encouraged MIT to look beyond the lecture/notes model and suggested putting chalkboards on multiple surfaces — not just the front of the classroom. Tables on casters and blackboards on three walls has offered flexibility that MIT has embraced. We’ve also found situations where it makes sense to flip the orientation of the typical shoebox shape of the classroom, making the long wall the presentation area, which gives the professor more chalkboard space, fewer rows of students, and a more intimate learning space.

These changes may seem small, but it’s nuances like this that make MIT classrooms both effective and memorable. Think of them as complex characters that deeply honor tradition without letting it limit their future.

“MIT standards are both incredibly robust and flexible. They are applied universally. They work. It’s strangely liberating – with so many constraints, we are free to explore the edges of what’s possible – the room geometry or orientation for example — and reach for the most inventive solution possible. It’s a test of creativity and we’re always gratified when we find a change, no matter how small, that MIT feels is worth adopting.”

— Rick Jones, AIA

• GREEN FACTOR:

  Acoustic performance is something that is often overlooked in sustainable design. Environments free from intrusive and disruptive levels of sound are important for learning and living. The MIT classroom standards stress NC-25 as a design criteria to ensure that this is incorporated into all projects.

• TEAM:

  Principal in Charge: Rick Jones
  Project Director: Sam Clement

• COLLABORATORS:

  Contractors:
  Acella Construction
  Barr & Barr
  Kaplan Construction
  Wise Construction

  MEP/FP Engineer:
  BVH Integrated Services
  RFS Engineering

  Structural Engineer:
  Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

  Code Consultant:
  Code Red Consultants

  Lighting Designer:
  Sladen Feinstein

  Acoustical Engineer:
  Acentech
  Cavanaugh Tocci

  Specifications:
  Kalin Associates

  Hardware Specifications:
  Robbie McCabe

• PHOTOGRAPHY:

  William Horne