MIT Stata Center Sustainable Design

Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Role: Management

Status: Completed

Fact: The team's LEED system management was so effective that it served as a framework for all future LEED projects at MIT. 

During the early stages of the Stata Center Project, David Silverman, as a member of the project management team, advocated to make the building more environmentally friendly. The team worked closely with Skanska USA to establish environmental expectations for the project using the LEED [ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ] checklist. 

Several initiatives were undertaken to meet the objectives of a certified LEED building: A storm water retention system with bio filtration was introduced to the project as a landscape feature, which reduced the amount of water being deposited to the city by recycling it as flushing water. A raised floor not only improved access to data cables and temperature control, but dramatically reduced the amount of energy required to cool the building. Skanska USA recycled 70% of their demolition debris and protected materials on site to meet the LEED responsibilities. The system developed by the project team to oversee and monitor the status of various requirements proved so effective, the LEED standards were soon required for all of MIT’s new construction projects.