Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Cambridge, MA
2005
23,000 sf
Goals
- Establish a sense of collaboration and community through a new home for seven administrative departments that had previously been spread across several floors of two different buildings.
Challenges
- Create a space that reflects the innovative spirit of the larger institution while being respectful of the nature of the administrative departments.
- Work with each department head to balance department needs and institutional goals.
- Develop a phased construction plan for partial occupancy throughout the construction process.
Design Response
- Developed, for evaluation by the client, a matrix of plan options for the arrangement of departments that reflects circulation, office/workstation distribution, natural light, and communication.
- Based on that matrix, designed a plan that provides alternate circulation routes, allowing both collaboration and independence among the groups.
- Created a bright and contemporary aesthetic to reflect the energy and dynamism of the scientific side of the institution, as well as the spirit of community envisioned by the institutional leadership.
NOTE: Signer Harris Architects has designed office spaces, labs, a cafeteria, an auditorium, classrooms, and lobby/common areas for the Whitehead Institute since 2003.
Contractor
Spaulding and Slye Construction
Consultants
RW Sullivan, Sullivan Code Group, Workplace Resources
