The Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences is built on the site of MIT's legendary Building 20, a "temporary" timber-framed building constructed during World War II that served as a breeding ground for many of the great ideas that were born at MIT. Designed by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, Stata is meant to carry on Building 20's innovative and serendipitous spirit, and to foster interaction and collaboration across many disciplines. The building is home to the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. Its striking design - featuring tilting towers, many-angled walls and whimsical shapes - challenges much of the conventional wisdom of laboratory and campus building. Skanska provided construction management services for the new facility that is a finely calibrated machine for scientific activity. The state-of-the-art facilities, built around a soaring five-story atrium, include wet and dry labs for molecular, cognitive and systems neuroscience, the imaging center with MRIs, classrooms, offices, seminar rooms, a large auditorium and a Childcare Center. Adding to the complexity of the project, the Stata Center includes a below-grade, 700-car parking garage and a 25,000 sf Materials Handling facility that services the entire northeast sector of the campus.
