Saarinen’s Masterworks at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium & the MIT Chapel

Additional fee, registration required.

Designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1955, Kresge Auditorium and the MIT Chapel were envisioned as anchors of MIT’s West Campus development, where student life, the arts and spiritual well-being add a humanistic dimension to MIT’s prowess in science and technology.

Renovations of both Kresge (2016) and the Chapel (2015) provided much needed improvements while respecting the historic character of each building. The project improved practice space and public amenities of the auditorium, addressed code and building systems deficiencies, and resolved technical envelope failures and underperforming details, including deterioration of the original curtain walls of both buildings.

Learning Objectives

1. Experience how Saarinen's design created a balanced setting of the two buildings reinforced by the site and landscape.
2. Discover how the renovations of signature elements of the buildings balanced preservation and performance while respecting Saarinen's design intent.
3. See how sustainability objectives can be incorporated into the design process and balanced with preservation requirements.
4. Learn how a multidisciplinary, interactive design process that included architects, engineers, preservation specialists, building scientists, and contractors was utilized to successfully transform the two iconic structures.

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