Graduate Student Handbook 2023-2024

MIT Architecture Graduate Programs

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

School of Architecture & Planning

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 7-337

Cambridge, MA USA 02139

617 253 7791 / arch@mit.edu

architecture.mit.edu

Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2023.

Current as of August 2023.

The Department of Architecture adheres to MIT’s Nondiscrimination Policy: referencepubs.mit.edu/what-we-do/ nondiscrimination-policy.

Sunset over the studios under the Lobby 7 dome. Photo: George Lin. 2011.

MIT Architecture Graduate Programs

Students and alumni at the End of Year Department

Celebration. Photo: Adam Glanzman. 2022.

Nicholas de Monchaux, Department Head

MIT Architecture is shaped by MIT’s architecture. From our front door on Massachusetts Avenue, this architecture is imposing, classical, and apparently immutable. Yet the physical and intellectual innovations that MIT has produced — scientific frameworks and inventions, social and humanistic insights, new methods of thinking and making — course around the world and have remade it several times over. The resulting tension between speed and heaviness, and between lightness and gravity, is most beautifully captured in the ephemeral and enduring culture of hacking MIT’s own architecture: the illicit adornment of domes and towers with fire engines, Daleks, Lunar Landers, subway cars and Star Wars droids. While superficially vandalizing the Institute, they also serve as the best representation of its essential, improbable identity.

Below the roofline, MIT’s architecture is largely given over to labs and shops — places in which things are measured, charted, discovered, and optimized. But our discipline is also profoundly shaped by irrational creativity and inescapable political realities. Creativity, history, politics and technology are all present at MIT, but in this Department, they live, work, and invent together.

The organizational architecture of our department reflects this reality. Groups of faculty in the arts, design and urbanism, computation, building technology, and history and theory, are all amongst the very best of the world, and organize themselves into discipline groups to serve groups of advanced students. Our undergraduate and professional degrees connect these groups, as our faculty work together to model architecture’s unique integration of diverse modes of thinking and making.

Since its inception, the most remarkable achievements of the department have been those of its students — both while at the school, and after graduation. We are delighted that your contributions to this community, to the world at large, are joining this remarkable history.

First year MArch students in the studio. Photo: Gretchen Ertl. 2022.

Degree Programs and Discipline Areas

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS)

Architectural Design

Architecture and Urbanism

Building Technology

Design and Computation

History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art

Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture

Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology (SMACT)

Master of Science in Building Technology (SMBT)

Doctor of Philosophy in Building Technology

Doctor of Philosophy in Design and Computation

Doctor of Philosophy in History and Theory of Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy in the History and Theory of Art

English Proficiency Requirement

Master of Architecture (MArch)

See MArch program overview

MArch Curriculum Chart

The MArch program is a professional degree program defined by the intersection of design and research. The small class size (25 or fewer each year) ensures that our experiments together are conducted in an atmosphere of engaged debate — with ourselves, with guests, and with the larger communities that we serve. Drawing much of the energy from the studio, the program understands that the studio is a key site of iterative, embodied, design learning, where cultural meaning animates methods and materials with urgency.

Seminars and Lecture courses drill down into historical and disciplinary expertise, which contextualize, challenge, and sometimes enable studio’s instrumental thinking, while Workshops provide a platform for faster, more discrete experimentation than is normally conducted in studios. All of these are mechanisms by which faculty involve students in the deep depths of faculty’s own research.

The Thesis semester caps the MArch studio sequence. It provides students a precious and sustained space for their own experimentation with framing the terms of engagement with the world.

Residency

Those who are admitted to the MArch program require 3½ academic years of residency to fulfill the degree requirements.

Faculty Advising

A faculty advisor with a design background will be assigned to each MArch student before the first term of registration. The advisor will monitor the student’s progress through completion of the degree.

Subjects and Credit Units

The MArch degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 282 graduate units and an acceptable 24-unit thesis for 306 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the 3½-year program include the following:

Six architectural design studios (3 core studios and 3 research studios)

Geometric Disciplines + Architectural Skills I (4.105)

One Computation restricted elective (4.117, 4.511, 4.521, or 4.567)

Three Building Technology subjects (4.464, 4.462, and 4.463)

Architectural Assemblies (4.123)

Positions: Cultivating Critical Practice (4.210)

Professional Practice (4.222)

Selected Topics in Architecture: 1750 to the Present (4.645)

One History, Theory & Criticism restricted elective (4.241, 4.607, 4.612, 4.621, 4.647, or 4.652)

One History, Theory & Criticism elective (6.6xx)

One Computation/Media Lab elective (4.5xx or MAS.xxx)

One Urban Design elective (11.xxx or 4.228)

One ACT elective (4.3xx)

Three open elective subjects (or 24 total credits)

Preparation for MArch Thesis (4.189)

Graduate Design Thesis (4.THG)

Credit for Previous Academic Work

MArch students who have successfully completed the equivalent of one or more required architecture subjects prior to beginning the program may be given advanced credit for those subjects by submitting a petition. Depending on the subject for which MIT credit is requested, students may substitute an elective in the discipline group or substitute a free elective.

Jumpstart

MIT Architecture’s Jumpstart is designed to prepare incoming MArch students for the rigors of the first design studio and to develop basic skills. The course is intended for students with little architectural studio experience but is also open to others who would benefit from introductory exposure to unfamiliar software. Jumpstart is created for our MArch student community by our MArch student community. This experience is taught by our esteemed teaching fellows (recent graduates) through exercises that have been handed down from year to year.

Thesis Preparation and Thesis

An MArch thesis at MIT operates as an independent thesis project, interrogating the discipline of architecture. The thesis is developed by the student and is supported by a thesis committee headed by a thesis advisor. During a student’s final term, a series of practice reviews prepares the student for their final, full thesis review at the end of the term in front of their full committee, guest critics, and the public.

The MArch degree is awarded after all the degree requirements have been met and the approved, archival-ready thesis has been submitted to the Department of Architecture.

Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS)

The SMArchS program is a two-year program of advanced study founded on research and inquiry in architecture as a discipline and as a practice. The program is intended both for students who already have a professional degree in architecture and those interested in advanced, nonprofessional graduate study. Offered within each of our discipline groups, with one of these areas as an intellectual home, students are encouraged to explore connections in their research across these areas as well as beyond — to other programs and departments across MIT.

Residency

Those who are admitted to the SMArchS program require two academic years of residency to fulfill the degree requirements.

Faculty Advising

A faculty advisor within each discipline area will be assigned to each SMArchS student before the first term of registration. The advisor will monitor the student’s progress through completion of the degree.

Thesis Preparation and Thesis

A SMArchS thesis at MIT operates as an independent thesis project, interrogating the discipline of architecture. The thesis is developed by the student and is supported by a thesis committee headed by a thesis advisor.

During a student’s final two terms, a series of practice reviews prepares the student for their final, full thesis review at the end of their final term in front of their full committee, guest critics, and the public.

The SMArchS degree is awarded after all the degree requirements have been met and the approved, archival-ready thesis has been submitted to the Department of Architecture. SMArchS degree requirement chart.

The SMArchS degree may be pursued in one of six discipline areas:

Architectural Design (AD)

The Architectural Design program offers a theoretical foundation in the history and development of architectural design pedagogy while providing a platform for applied research into new design methodologies. To nurture independent theses related to the notion of design, the program aims to equip students with a critical understanding of different modes of creative synthetic production, with particular focus on emerging modes of design activity — conceptual or technical — and on the potential for radicalizing current modes of architectural and building praxis.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS AD degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Architectural Design Theory + Methodologies (4.130)

SMArchS Thesis Prep (4.288)

Thesis (4.THG)

6 additional subjects in area of interest

Architecture + Urbanism (Urbanism)

The SMArchS Urbanism program is for students interested in the development of critical urban design as well as its history and theory. Consciously locating itself in the contemporary debate about what constitutes good city form, with expansive metropolitan regions and systems of cities, the program teaches students to develop articulate and intellectually grounded positions. Students are expected to interrogate current positions within the field in order to explore critical alternatives to existing paradigms of urbanism.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS Urbanism degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Urban Design Studio (4.163) (taken twice)

Contemporary Urbanism Proseminar (4.228)

The Making of Cities (4.241)

Pre-Thesis Prep (4.286)

SMArchS Thesis Prep (4.288)

Thesis (4.THG)

4 additional subjects in area of interest

Building Technology (BT)

The SMArchS Building Technology program offers students the opportunity to explore critical topics for the future of the built environment and resources. This area explores ways to use design and technology to create buildings that contribute to a more humane and environmentally responsible built world. Research areas supervised by the faculty address innovative materials and assemblies; emerging and nontraditional building materials; low-energy and passive building energy strategies; innovative analysis and modeling of historic structures and various issues of energy; and material resources at the urban scale, including urban environmental sensing, the urban heat island effect, and urban metabolism.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS BT degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Building Technology Seminar (4.481)

SMArchS Thesis Prep (4.288)

Thesis (4.THG)

6 additional subjects in area of interest

Design and Computation (Computation)

The SMArchS Computation program inquires into the varied nature and practice of computation in architectural design as well as the ways in which design meaning, intention, and knowledge are constructed through sensing, thinking, and making computationally. It focuses on the development of innovative computational tools, processes, and theories as well as applying these in creative, socially meaningful responses to challenging design problems.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS Computation degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Inquiry into Computation + Design (4.580)

SMArchS COMP Pre-Thesis Prep (4.587)

SMArchS COMP Thesis Prep (4.588)

Thesis (4.THG)

6 additional subjects in area of interest

History, Theory, Criticism (HTC)

The SMArchS HTC program will expand upon prior experience (which can be in design, theory, history, practice, or other post-undergraduate work) to explore compelling research that links historical or contemporary topics with methodological issues. Working alongside doctoral students in the program, SMArchS students will be exposed to a wide range of historical periods and theoretical approaches.The HTC program is intensely interdisciplinary, and students are expected to enrich their core disciplines of history and theory with inquiry into other fields as appropriate for their research interests.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS HTC degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Theory and Method in the Study of Architecture + Art (4.661) (taken twice)

SMArchS HTC Pre-Thesis Prep (4.687)

SMArchS Thesis Prep (4.288)

Thesis (4.THG)

6 additional subjects in area of interest

Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture (AKPIA)

The SMArchS AKPIA program is designed to promote, sustain, and increase the teaching of architecture in the Islamic world. It prepares students for careers in research, design, and teaching. With strong links with the Department of Urban Studies and Planning as well as the Aga Khan Programs at Harvard, SMArchS AKPIA concentrates on the critical study of the history and historiography of Islamic architecture; the interaction between architecture, society, and culture; strategies of urban and architectural preservation; design interventions in disaster areas; and environmental and material-sensitive landscape research. The siting of AKPIA at MIT’s Department of Architecture is intended to negate the polarizing dichotomy between the discipline of architecture (derived from Western architectural history and praxis) and Islamic Architecture, which is routinely relegated to area and cultural studies.

Subjects and Credit Units

The SMArchS AKPIA degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of an approved program of 96 graduate units and an acceptable 36-unit thesis for 132 total graduate credits.

Subjects required for the program include the following:

Architecture Studies Colloquium (4.221)

Historiography of Islamic Art + Architecture (4.619)

Islamic Architecture + the Environment (4.612)

Orientalism, Colonialism, + Representation (4.621)

SMArchS AKPIA Pre-Thesis Prep (4.686)

SMArchS Thesis Prep (4.288)

Thesis (4.THG)

5 additional subjects in area of interest

Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology (SMACT)

See SMACT program overview

SMACT Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology program facilitates artist-thinkers’ exploration of art’s broad, complex, and global history as well as the conjunction with culture, science, technology, and design via rigorous critical artistic practice and practice-driven theory. ACT emphasizes experimentation and transdisciplinary approaches to studio production in both traditional and new media. Students are encouraged to consider both the physical and the cultural context of their artworks/ projects as central to their interpretation. Presentations on contemporary art, discussions in theory and criticism, and an understanding of research-based artistic practice complement studio production and the development of projects.

Residency

The minimum required residency for students enrolled in the SMACT program is two academic years.

Faculty Advising

A faculty advisor from the Art, Culture, and Technology Program is assigned to each SMACT student at matriculation. The advisor will consult on the student’s initial plan of study and on each subsequent term’s choice of subjects.

Subjects and Credit Units

A minimum of 135 units of graduate-level coursework and an acceptable 24-unit thesis is required for graduation.

Subjects to be taken include the following:

Four ACT Studios (4.390)

Two ACT graduate subjects, one of which must be taken with an ACT core faculty member

Two elective subjects in area of interest

SMACT Theory & Criticism Colloquium (4.387)

SMACT Thesis Preparation (4.388)

SMACT Thesis Tutorial (4.389)

Thesis (4.THG)

Art, Culture and Technology Studio

Art, Culture and Technology Studio (4.390) is restricted to SMACT degree students and serves as the core of the curriculum. It is coordinated by an ACT faculty member and involves the participation of all faculty currently advising SMACT candidates.

Master of Science in Building Technology (SMBT)

See SMBT program overview

The SMBT program provides a focus for graduate students interested in the development and application of advanced technology for buildings. Students in this program take relevant subjects in basic engineering disciplines along with subjects that apply these topics to buildings. The program accepts students with undergraduate degrees in a variety of engineering disciplines, in the physical sciences, or in architecture — with a suitable background in technology. Students also come to the program with diverse job experiences, from the design of space-conditioning equipment for buildings to the Peace Corps. All share both a keen interest in buildings and a thorough education in mathematics, physics, and other technical subjects.

Residency

The minimum required residency for students enrolled in the SMBT program is three terms, one of which may be a summer term. However, many take two academic years to complete all the requirements.

Faculty Advising

Each student in Building Technology is assigned a faculty advisor at matriculation. The advisor weighs in on the student’s initial plan of study and on each subsequent term’s choice of subjects.

Subjects and Credit Units

A minimum of 66 units of graduate-level coursework and an acceptable 36-unit thesis is required.

Subjects to be taken include the following:

Building Technology Seminar (4.481)

2 subjects in a single field of specialization (major) chosen from the following: thermal science, structures, materials, controls, lighting, or systems analysis

1 subject from another field of specialization

(minor) in Building Technology

1 subject in applied mathematics

Thesis (4.THG)

Thesis

A thesis is required for the SMBT degree. The topic is selected from a subject currently being investigated by the faculty, and research is carried out under the direct supervision of a faculty member in the program.

Doctor of Philosophy in Building Technology

See BT PhD program overview

BT PhD Requirements

The PhD program in Building Technology is designed for students with a suitable background in technology and a degree in engineering, science, or architecture. It provides a focus for those interested in the development and application of advanced technology for buildings. Students in this program take subjects in engineering disciplines along with subjects that deal with the application of these topics to buildings.

Residency

The minimum residency requirement for the PhD degree is two years; two or three years in residence beyond the SM degree are likely to be necessary. Those entering the program with only a bachelor’s degree should plan on completing the program in five years.

Coursework: Major and Minor Fields

Coursework is selected in consultation with the faculty advisor. Though the core group of subjects will be within the department, students are encouraged to take outside subjects. Building Technology Seminar (4.481) is the only specific subject required for the degree and is taken during the student’s first term. Typically, a student’s program will include at least five graduate subjects (45 units) in the major field and three subjects (27 units) in the minor field. Preparation for Building Technology PhD Thesis (4.489) is used as registration for research until the dissertation proposal has been approved. After that point, Graduate Thesis (4.THG) is used as registration for research.

Qualifying Paper

The qualifying paper, which often emerges from the Building Technology Seminar, should demonstrate the student’s potential for work at a high standard of scholarship. The paper must be completed and accepted by the dissertation committee before a student can continue to the general examination.

General Examination

The purpose of the qualifying examination is to determine whether the student possesses the attributes of a doctoral candidate: mastery of the disciplines of importance to building technology along with ingenuity and skill in identifying and solving unfamiliar problems. The examination consists of two parts: (1) A demonstration of mastery in three areas through coursework and (2) a presentation of research.

Dissertation Proposal

The PhD dissertation is a major work that makes an original scholarly contribution to the field of investigation. Most BT PhD dissertation research will be a portion of a sponsored research project. The dissertation is the main focus of the doctoral program and the primary indicator of a PhD student’s ability to carry out significant independent research. The Building Technology dissertation must result in advances in the state of the art that are worthy of publication in a respected technical journal in the field.

Dissertation Defense

A dissertation committee of three or more people, generally assembled in the first semester of registration, supervises research and writing of the dissertation.

The dissertation is presented orally in an open meeting of the faculty of the department; at least three faculty members must be present. After the presentation, the dissertation is either accepted or rejected.

The PhD is awarded after the defended, approved, archivalready dissertation has been submitted to the Department of Architecture.

Doctor of Philosophy in Design and Computation

See Computation PhD program overview Computation PhD Requirements

The PhD in Design and Computation program is broadly conceived around computational ideas as they pertain to the description, generation, and construction of architectural form. The mission of the program is to enhance and enrich design from a computational perspective, with clear implications for practice and teaching.

Faculty, research staff, and students work in diverse but overlapping and mutually supportive areas. Work on shape representation, generative and parametric design is directed at a new computational basis for design. Work on digital modeling and rendering seeks to extend the possibilities of visualizing design ideas and un-built work as well as to improve architectural design practice where designers and technical collaborators are geographically separated. Work on rapid prototyping and CAD/CAM technologies aims to expand design possibilities through the physical modeling of design ideas and to revolutionize the construction and building phase of architectural practice.

Residency

The minimum residency requirement for the PhD degree is two years, and it is expected that most students will take no more than five years to complete the degree.

Subject Work

Computation PhD Students are expected to complete at least 144 units of subject work while in residency at MIT. The only specific subject requirement is Proseminar in Computation (4.581). All other subjects are selected in consultation with the faculty advisor and may be taken both in and out of the Department of Architecture. Registration in Graduate Thesis (4.THG) does not count toward the 144unit requirement.

Major and Minor Fields

Major and minor fields must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, which is selected with the assistance of the advisor in the first year of enrollment. Normally, the minor field requirement will be satisfied by outstanding performance in three related subjects (no less than 27 units). The major field requirement is satisfied upon

successful completion of the general examination.

General Examination

The general examination is given after required subject work is completed and is taken no later than the third year of residency. The general examination is meant to show broad and detailed competence in the student’s major field of concentration and supporting areas of study. The content and format of the general examination are decided by the student’s advisory committee in consultation with the student.

Dissertation Proposal

The PhD dissertation is a major work that makes an original scholarly contribution. It is the main focus of the doctoral program in Design and Computation, and it serves as the primary indicator of a PhD student’s ability to carry out significant independent research.

An oral examination in which the candidate meets with the dissertation committee to discuss the proposal marks the formal acceptance of the dissertation topic.

Students will often register for Preparation for Computation PhD Thesis (4.589) in the term leading up to their dissertation proposal defense. Once the proposal has been approved, the student may register for Graduate Thesis (4.THG).

Dissertation Defense

Students are advised to meet with committee members to obtain comments and guidance throughout the writing phase of the project. Regular contact with committee members during the process of drafting the thesis can ensure a student’s readiness for thesis defense. The dissertation is defended by oral presentation in front of the dissertation committee. The PhD is awarded after a PDF copy of the defended, approved, archival-ready dissertation has been submitted to the Department of Architecture.

Doctor of Philosophy in History and Theory of Architecture

/ Doctor of Philosophy in the History and Theory of Art

See HTC PhD program overview

The PhD in HTC program offers two tracks of study: History and Theory of Architecture as well as the History and Theory of Art. Degree requirements and admissions procedures for both tracks are the same.

The program in History, Theory and Criticism (HTC) draws from the unique range of disciplines and professions within the Department of Architecture. The program emphasizes the study of art, architecture, and urbanism, past and present, produced in a broad range of geographic areas, as well as methodological issues that inform or link the history of ideas and practices. Its mission is to promote critical and theoretical reflection within the disciplines of architectural and art history. HTC differs from other architectural programs in that it has art historians on its permanent faculty.

Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

Within the History and Theory of Architecture or Art PhD, there is a concentration in Islamic Architecture and Art. The concentration on Islamic architecture and urbanism is an integral part of the HTC program. One student each year is admitted to work on an Islamic subject and is funded through the Aga Khan Program endowment. Research projects vary in scope, method, and range from the classical period to the present.

Residency

The minimum residency requirement for the PhD degree is five years.

Coursework

PhD students complete 204 units (not including dissertation registration) during their residency at MIT. This is usually accomplished over the first three years of residency.

Theory and Method in the Study of Architecture + Art (4.661) (taken twice)

Nine subjects in area of interest (108 units)

completed by the end of the second year

Advancement to Candidacy

A student is advanced to doctoral candidacy upon completion of the following “hurdles,” which should be completed by the end of the third year.

General exam: major field

General exam: minor field

Language requirement

Dissertation proposal

General Examination: Major and Minor Fields

The fields of examination are set by mutual agreement between the student and their advisor. The purpose is to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the student’s critical awareness of the discipline in which the student works. Most universities, research institutions, and other potential employers require assurance that a graduate has areas of competency beyond the student’s specialization.

Language Requirement

It is recommended that students complete their language requirement by the end of the fourth semester. Because of the foundational role French and German have played in the discipline of art and architectural history and theory, successful study or testing in these two languages constitutes the usual fulfillment of this requirement. For students working on topics for which there is another primary language, a substitution may be approved by the advisor.

Dissertation Proposal

A dissertation advisor should be selected by the end of the fourth semester. During the sixth semester, the Dissertation Topic will be presented to students and faculty colleagues. The formal dissertation defense consists of an oral examination in which the candidate meets with the dissertation committee; the committee decides whether the prospectus is approved as is, requires further revision, or does not pass the defense.

When the approved proposal is filed with the HTC administrator in acknowledgment of successful completion, the dissertation topic and proposal are approved, advancing the student to candidacy. At this point, the student registers for 4.THG, Graduate Thesis.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation is defended in the presence of the full dissertation committee.

The PhD is awarded upon submission of the defended, approved, archival-ready dissertation to the Department of Architecture.

Thesis Research in Absentia

Acceptance into the program is granted with the presumption that students will remain in residence at the Institute during their degree. However, on occasion, work outside the Institute may be essential to gather archival or other materials. Students who have completed all requirements apart from the dissertation may apply to take one or occasionally two semesters in absentia.

English Proficiency Requirement

An Institute-wide requirement, all graduate students whose first language is not English are required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) prior to registration at MIT. Even students who satisfy the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) requirement for admission may be required to take specialized subjects in the English Language Studies Program (ELS), depending on their EET results. These subjects do not count toward the required units but will prove helpful to students who need to develop the skills necessary to write a thesis.

Collective Architecture Studio Review. Photo: Xuan Luo. 2022.

Students working in the shop. Photo: Daisy Zhang. 2022.

Academic Environment and Workspace

STOA

STOA provides a range of hardware and software expertise and manages the day-to-day operations of the Department of Architecture’s technology infrastructure. STOA is available to advise members of the Architecture community on equipment and application purchasing, platform and application support, and access to computing and technology resources.

Shops

The Architecture Shops offer students 24/7 access for academic work to self-service equipment including laser cutters, FDM printers, hand tools, bench space, a spray booth, plaster casting space, and shop computers with associated software. Shop staff also provide one on one training on any necessary software used in the shops including Rhino, OMAX (waterjet), MasterCam for CNC work, and more. Additional machines and processes requiring training and supervision are available during staffed hours. The shops employ 3 full-time dedicated staff who are longtime ‘makers’ with extensive experience in a wide range of materials and processes. More info can be found at archshops.mit.edu.

Studios + Workspaces

Each student registered for an architectural design studio is assigned a studio workspace with their instructor’s group. This workstation includes a desk with a locker and chair.

Studio Travel

Many of our Core, Design, and Option Studios include opportunities for regional and international travel as part of the research.

L-R: Recent Building Technology alumnus, Mohamad Ismail SM ’19, PhD ’23 and Nicholas de Monchaux, Professor and Head of Architecture, at the End of Year Department Celebration.

Photo: Adam Glanzman. 2023.

Finances, Employment, Grants, and Awards

Finances

MIT tuition and fees are posted by the Registrar. Tuition awards are applied directly to a student’s Bursar’s account to reduce the cost of tuition. Fellowship stipends/Teaching Assistantship/Research Assistantship salaries are paid directly to the student on a monthly basis and are taxable by United States tax laws.

Student Accounts coordinates the billing and collects payment of all official Institute charges, including oncampus housing, medical insurance, tuition, and the Student Activity Fee. Questions or concerns about student accounts, billing, charges, and/or payments should be directed to Student Financial Services.

For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing, and food as well as transportation, please visit the SFS website

Financial Resources Chart

Financial Aid Awards

When an offer of admission is accompanied by a financial aid offer, those details are described in the letter of admission. Students are encouraged to review the terms and conditions. In general, awards to PhD candidates include a fellowship and stipend component, and awards to Master’s degree students carry tuition support only.

Financial aid offers are guaranteed for the length of the residency requirement of the degree. In order to retain departmental funding, a student must be registered fulltime, hold a 4.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year, fulfill the Department’s English as a Second Language requirement, and, in the case of MArch candidates, make satisfactory progress through the studio sequence. Graduate students do not need to reapply each year to retain the financial offer made upon admission but must be enrolled full-time and be in good academic standing.

Educational Loans

MIT offers a number of student loan programs and also participates in alternative loan programs. The Office of Student Financial Services assists students in financing their education and with repayment. Loans are generally limited to graduate students who are United States or Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents; however, continuing international students may apply for a loan, providing certain criteria are met.

MIT will authorize only loan amounts that—when combined with family resources, financial aid, on campus jobs, and other assistance—do not exceed the cost of attendance. Standard student budgets reflecting these costs have been developed by Student Financial Services and are used to determine financial need.

Application forms and specific information may be obtained from Student Financial Services,

Grants, Awards, Prizes

The Department of Architecture sponsors a number of special awards and travel fellowships throughout the year. These include, but are not limited to, travel opportunities to support thesis or dissertation research, participation in a conference, and internship opportunities to work abroad in an architectural firm. Awards and prizes are given at the end of each academic year in recognition of outstanding scholarship and promise. Most of these include a financial award.

View all Grants, Awards, and Prizes opportunities on our website.

Other MIT opportunities include the following:

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE)

The Pricilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG)

MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

MIT Graduate Student Council Funding

Legatum Fellowships

The Council of Arts at MIT (CAMIT)

Student Jobs

Teaching Assistants (TA)

The duties of a TA include assisting faculty members in grading homework, quizzes, classroom and laboratory instruction; preparing apparatus or material for demonstrations; and conducting tutorials and discussion sections.

The majority of TA positions within the department are 50% effort, requiring approximately 10 hours of work per week. This is so the department can distribute TA positions to a greater number of students. Full-time TA positions may also be available and require approximately 20 hours of work per week. The MIT Graduate Admissions website has the Current Rates for Master’s and PhD Stipends.

Research Assistants (RA)

The principal duty of an RA is to contribute, under supervision, to a program of departmental or interdepartmental research. RAs are compensated on the basis of the time devoted to the research activities. RAs offer students the chance to participate as junior colleagues of the faculty in ongoing research; this experience frequently influences the choice of thesis topic.

The appointment typically carries a tuition component in addition to the salary. A 100% graduate RA appointment includes payment of full tuition and a stipend. The MIT Graduate Admissions website has the Current Rates for Master’s and PhD Stipends. A 100% RA appointment carries an expectation of 20 hours of work per week. Partial RAs are also possible with a corresponding reduction in workload and financial remuneration.

Hourly Positions

The Department also offers employment in a number of hourly positions. These positions can be short-term or a full semester in length and include such positions as audio visual assistants, shop monitors, Registration Day and Orientation aides, tour guides, lecture series support, etc.

Students with hourly positions are paid on a weekly basis, upon the submission of electronic time cards.

Employment Outside the Department

On-campus jobs are available in technical and non-technical fields within academic departments, laboratories, and administrative offices.

Maximum Funding and Employment Guidelines

Students may not receive funding that is greater than 100%. If a student is already receiving a 100% stipend, through one or any combination of jobs or appointments, they may not take on additional work at the institution. This includes any stipends that do not carry a work component.

Students may not work for more than 20 hours per week during the fall and spring terms. During the IAP and summer sessions, students may work up to 40 hours per week.

Eligibility Requirements for Employment

All students, including first-year students, must be in good academic standing. Until academic standing is established during the first term, new students are strongly discouraged from applying for TA positions for their first semester, as the pace of work and class is exceedingly demanding. Hourly positions are available for all students to apply to during their first term.

No student may TA for a class that meets at the same time as a required class for their program (with exceptions only for graders who are not required to be in the classroom during class time).

No student may TA for a required class for their program that they have not yet completed.

Students in front of their work at Core II reviews. Photo: Daisy Zhang. 2022.

Recent graduates on Commencement Day. Photo: Daisy Zhang. 2022.

Professional Development

Career Development

Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD), located in Room E17-294, advises students on any part of the career development process, including career self-assessment, exploring career opportunities, searching for jobs, and managing careers. Undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree students should make appointments with a Career Development Specialist.

Specific resources related to architecture and planning careers are also available. Current job postings, internship postings, and micro-internship postings can be found on the MIT Handshake Page.

If you would like to meet for a one-on-one conversation to discuss career related topics including jobs, internships, cover letters, resume, portfolio, or to brainstorm on which architecture firms in which cities or countries best align with your professional interests, please reach out to Paul Pettigrew (paulpett@mit.edu) to arrange a time to meet.

Cover Letters, Resumes and Portfolios Resources

For more resources on developing your cover letter, resume, and portfolio, please visit our website

Internships

The Department will academically support practical experience internships for professional, full-time work performed by a current MIT Architecture student in an architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, or planning office or directly related to an art, architecture, or building technology project for Course 4 students.

Note: CPT internships are only offered over the IAP and Summer terms, no exceptions. Internships or CPT are not supported by the department during the academic year (for fall or spring terms), when the curriculum focuses on academic work on campus.

MISTI International Internships and Research

For almost 40 years, MISTI has pioneered international education at MIT. MISTI works across departments, centers, and labs throughout the Institute to enable immersive, impactful learning experiences and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty. Programs include subsidized internships, global teaching and startup labs, study abroad, and independent research.

Whether it’s creating one-of-a-kind student programs, fueling partnerships between researchers, or serving as an enabling partner for exciting programs across the Institute, MISTI delivers the training, resources, insights, and expertise that make it possible for MIT students and faculty to learn from the world and with it. Learn more and apply here.

NAAB Accreditation

NAAB – Accredited Degrees

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

Master of Architecture (MArch) non-pre-professional degree + 306 units.

Next Accreditation Visit: 2023

Additional Resources

For more information, please visit the following National Architectural Accrediting Board links on accreditation:

NAAB Website

Conditions for Accreditation, 2020

Conditions for Accreditation, 2014

Procedures for Accreditation, 2020

Procedures for Accreditation, 2012

NAAB Interim Progress Report, 2017

NAAB Interim Progress Report, 2020

NAAB Responses

NAAB Architecture Program Report 2014

NAAB Visiting Team Report 2015

NAAB Optional Response to Visiting Team Report 2015

ARE Guidelines

ARE Pass Rates

ARE Resources for Emerging Professionals Toward An Evolution of Studio Culture

Student Work

Core I

Images (Clockwise from left): Alissa Serfozo; Cheng Qin; and Junha Hwang and Pearl Cheng. 4.151 (Core I ), Fall 2022. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

Student Work

Core II

Images (Clockwise

from left): Logan King; Junha Hwang; and Simmone Carina Stearn. 4.152 (Core II ), Spring 2023. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

Images (Clockwise from top left): Hana Meihan Davis; Emma Pearl Willmer-Shiles; and Samantha Anne Rose Ratanarat. 4.152 (Core II ), Spring 2023. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

Student Work

Core III

Images (Clockwise from left): Juan Daniel Hurtado Salazar; “The Exchange” Soala Lolia Ajienka; and Courage Kpodo. 4.153 (Core III ), Fall 2023. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

Student Work

Thesis

MArch Thesis Documentation (Clockwise from bottom left): Yoonjae Oh; Yoonjae Oh; Tim Cousin and Olivier Faber; and Latifa Alkhayat. Fall 2022. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

MArch Thesis Documentation (Clockwise from bottom left): Zak KishDeGiulio; Julian Geltman; Jenna Schnitzler; and Emily Wisseman. Fall 2022/Spring 2023. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Ryan.

First-year MArch student in Core I studio. Photo: Gretchen Ertl. 2022.

How to Apply

Admissions Timeline

September 15: Applications open for all programs

Dec. 23—Jan 3: Staff on break (no email responses during this time)

January 7 (11:59 p.m. EST): Applications due for all programs

March 15—April 1: Application results released

April 15: Decisions due from admitted students

There are no rolling admissions. Applications for all degrees are reviewed in January for programs beginning the following September. Admitted students cannot defer their admissions offer to another year, and will need to reapply if they wish to enter in a different year.

Application Links

Applicants to the Department of Architecture can create a user profile with MIT, then create an application in that system for our programs. To create your profile, go to apply.mit.edu/apply.

Contact Us

If you have reviewed the admissions information on our website, and find that you have additional questions, we have developed an interactive form to help you better understand our programs: Architecture Admissions Information Portal.

We have a team of dedicated students who conduct tours of the Department, both in-person and virtual. You can request a tour during the academic year, here: Tour Request Form.

Application Requirements

Letters of recommendation (3-4)

Transcripts for all relevant degrees

IELTS or TOEFL score (if English is not your first language)

Curriculum Vitae

Statement of Objectives

$75 application fee

Portfolio (or writing sample as appropriate, such as SMArchS HTC, and PhD programs)

The GRE is NOT required for any Architecture program

Financial Support

Aside from fully funded programs, such as the PhD and SMBT programs, the majority of students receive Departmental support. Be sure to check off whether or not you wish to be considered for financial support. No preference is given to either answer. If you need money to attend grad school, be sure to say “yes.” Department aid is distributed on a combined basis of merit and need. The Department will review admitted applicants to see if any additional MIT scholarships may apply. If an admitted applicant to an Architecture program is eligible for an MIT scholarship, the Department will apply on your behalf and detail this in the admission letter. You may also complete the optional departmental financial aid questionnaire that is available within the application to help us better understand your need for financial assistance.

Application Fee

A non-refundable Application Fee of $75 USD is required to submit your application. You will need to submit a credit card number on the Architecture Graduate Application to process this fee. If submitting an application fee provides any challenge in submitting an application, prospective students are asked to submit a fee waiver application through the Office of Graduate Education. A fee waiver request is entirely independent of the admissions process itself and is not seen by the admissions committee. Note that those applying to the PhD programs will automatically

be considered for the SMArchS program in that area. SMArchS applicants may choose to be reviewed by more than one SMArchS program.

Program Specific Requirements

MArch

The MArch is the first professional degree preparing students for a career as an architect. The program takes 3.5 years, comprising six studios, followed by a semester working on thesis. Courses are drawn from each of our discipline groups, as well as electives from the Department and throughout MIT.

SMArchS

The Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS) is a two-year post-masters program of advanced study founded on research and inquiry in architecture as a discipline and as a practice. The program is intended both for students who already have a professional degree in architecture and those interested in advanced non-professional graduate study. We offer this degree in each of our discipline groups, with some overlap between groups.

SMACT

The Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) facilitates artist-thinkers’ exploration of art’s broad, complex, global history and conjunction with culture, science, technology, and design via rigorous critical artistic practice and practice driven theory. ACT emphasizes experimentation and transdisciplinary approaches to studio production in both traditional and new media. Students are encouraged to consider both the physical and the cultural context of their artworks/projects as central to their interpretation. Presentations on contemporary art as well as discussions in theory and criticism, and an understanding of researchbased artistic practice complement studio production and the development of projects.

Zoom interviews are only arranged with candidates after the faculty have made an initial assessment of the applicant pool.

SMBT

The Master of Science in Building Technology (SMBT) provides a focus for graduate students interested in the development and application of advanced technology for buildings. Students in this program take relevant subjects in basic

engineering disciplines along with subjects which apply these topics to buildings. The program accepts students with undergraduate degrees in a variety of engineering disciplines, in the physical sciences, or in architecture with a suitable background in technology. Students also come to the program with diverse job experiences, from the design of space-conditioning equipment for buildings to the Peace Corps. All share both a keen interest in buildings and a thorough education in mathematics, physics and other technical subjects.

PhD

The Department of Architecture offers the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture (PhD), which may be pursued in any of these disciplines:

Building Technology

Computation

History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art

Concentration in Advanced Urbanism

Each student admitted into the doctoral program will work closely with one faculty advisor in their area to develop a plan of study. The minimum residence required by the Institute for the doctorate is two full academic years. Completion of all of the requirements for the doctorate, including the dissertation, is usually accomplished in five or six years. Progress toward the PhD follows required coursework, minor and major declaration, qualifying paper, general examination, and dissertation research, writing, and defense. Students are encouraged to take relevant courses in other departments at MIT and at Harvard University.

Application Assistance

Applicant Mentorship Program

The Applicant Mentorship Program (AMP) pairs prospective applicants with current students, who can offer guidance and answer questions throughout the application process. We especially encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds and those lacking support or facing other challenges in their pursuits of graduate studies to sign up for AMP. Learn more.

GradCatalyst for Architecture

GradCatalyst for Architecture is a student-led workshop to help undergraduates plan their academic trajectories. This

interactive webinar covers the unwritten rules to preparing for, applying to, and succeeding in graduate school. Sessions are open to anyone exploring the option of graduate education in architecture and similar fields. Learn more and register.

Graduate students at the launch of “Thresholds 51: Heat” at the MIT Museum. Photo: Jabari Canada. 2023.

Resources

Academic Libraries

The Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning, housed in an award-winning building by Schwartz/Silver Architects, is one of the nation’s premier resources in architecture and planning. The collection offers extensive depth in architecture, building technology, art history, photography, environmental studies, land use, urban design and development, housing and community development, regional planning and development, urban transportation and real estate. Rotch also holds an extensive Geographic Information Collection, including national and international datasets representing census/demographic, elevation, environmental, energy, geology, imagery, land use and land cover, transportation, urban environment, and water data. Other Rotch library resources include:

GIS Lab

The Aga Khan Documentation Center (AKDC@MIT) Extensive visual collections, including the Perceptual Form of the City project, the Kidder Smith Collection of American Architecture, and the Aga Khan Visual Archive

The Rotch Limited Access collection, containing thousands of rare books and special materials in Art, Architecture, Design, and Urban Planning

Access to MIT Libraries system with over five million items in print and digital formats

Borrowing privileges at the Harvard College Libraries and at the Loeb Library at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Access to other libraries is also available through the Boston Library Consortium (BLC) and MIT‘s Worldcat

Office of Graduate Education (OGE)

OGE provides resources to graduate students including academic planning tools, advising and academic support, professional development opportunities, personal and financial support, career advising and more.

Disability and Access Services (DAS)

DAS models best practices for access, enabling people of diverse abilities to engage with MIT. DAS enables an accessible campus experience at MIT by ensuring access for qualified students with disabilities and consulting on digital accessibility, assistive technology, and user experience.

MIT Writing and Communication Center (WCC)

WCC offers individual consultations on oral, visual, and written projects, workshops on various aspects of academic writing, and other programming led by communication experts.

MITdesignX

MITdesignX is an academic program in the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) dedicated to design innovation and entrepreneurship. MITDesignX selects a cohort of 10 teams per year to receive grant funding to build new business ventures designed to address critical challenges facing the future of cities and the human environment. One participant per team is required to be an active student, faculty, researcher or staff member of MIT, and preference is given to teams that include members from SA+P.

Campus

Housing and Residential Services

MIT’s graduate residence halls, located within a short walk of campus, offer a variety of options for both single students and students with families. MIT also offers resources and assistance for students wishing to live off campus. Learn more.

MIT Dining

MIT Dining aims to create a campus where everyone has access to healthy, affordable, and culturally meaningful food.

Transportation

MIT also offers many transportation options which include daily parking rates and a range of public transportation subsidies and discounts, making getting to, from and around campus easy and flexible. Learn more

MIT Architecture Student Pocket Guide 2023.

International Student Office

MIT Medical

DoingWell

MIT Spouses & Partners Connect

Arts at MIT

Sports and Recreation

Student Groups

Architecture Student Council (ASC)

The Architecture Student Council is the student organization of the Department of Architecture at MIT. The student council is composed of representatives from all of our degree programs and two elected co-chairs. The council works in close collaboration with the department’s leadership, faculty, and staff to advocate on the student body’s behalf and to foster a culture of support, collaboration, and openness.

For more information, contact ASC at mitarchstudcouncil@ gmail.com.

National Organization of Minority Architects Students (MIT NOMAS)

As minority students and allies, NOMAS aims to provide a source of support and camaraderie through communal gathering, open discourse, and lasting mentorship. They challenge misconceptions surrounding minority representation and emphasize the importance of diverse communities through dialogues with the MIT community, lecture series highlighting minority designers and researchers, open letters and advocacy. They are in support of systemic change to an exclusive profession that for centuries has created barriers for those outside of the canon, but they also choose to exist as a space for dialogue, change and care.

For more information, visit the NOMAS website or contact them at nomas-exec@mit.edu.

MIT China SA+P (MIT CSAP)

MIT China SA+P (MIT CSAP) is a student-led organization that aims to serve MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and the school-wide community at large to establish bridges with the market, industry, and public in China on topics pertaining to the different areas of research and studies within the school: Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, Art, Culture and Technology, Real Estate and Media Arts and

Sciences. They hope to capitalize on SA+P’s expertise in design, visualization, curation, and communication to help expand MIT’s influence in China, whose massive, ongoing urbanization process craves technologically innovative designs and products.

For more information, contact MIT CSAP at chinasap.mit@ gmail.com, and follow on Instagram (@mitchinasap) and WeChat (MITCSAP).

archREFS

archREFS (Resources for Easing Friction and Stress) is a group of graduate students trained in conflict management and mediation that supports the MIT Architecture student community. To help students manage stress and conflict, archREFS are available to listen, help think of possible resolutions, and connect to other MIT resources. archREFS is a confidential resource, and there is no concern too big or too small with which to approach an archREFS member.

For more information, visit the archREFS website or contact them at archREFS@mit.edu

Additional Groups

Beyond the Department of Architecture, MIT has 500+ recognized student groups as well as an active Graduate Student Council. Student groups range from 68 ethnic and cultural associations, 38 musical, theater, and dance groups, 23 religious organizations, 15 activism groups, and many more: including Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA), LatinX Graduate Student Association (LGSA), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Visit MIT Engage to find more.

Lectures, exhibitions, publications, and communications

What we do

The MIT Architecture Communications team oversees lectures, exhibitions, publications, and general communications including website and social media for the Department. We offer support and guidance to our community with regard to online representation, the promotion of projects, and other press. Learn more about our public programs at architecture.mit.edu.

Who we are

We are a team of students, alumni, and staff, committed to highlighting and amplifying the amazing work of our community. Reach out to us: arch-comm@mit.edu

Diversity, Equity and Belonging

The Department of Architecture is committed to building an environment that welcomes, includes, and empowers all members of our community. Together, we seek to build a department guided by principles of equity and anti-racism that support the mission of connecting design, research, and creativity to diverse communities and the urgent issues of our time. The Department employs a full-time Diversity, Equity and Belonging Officer who works to strengthen inclusion around race, gender, disabilities, sexuality, nationality, social class, and religion, promote a sense of belonging in the department, and amplify diverse voices in the community. For more information about the department’s diversity, equity & belonging efforts and initiatives, visit our website and/or contact Diversity, Equity & Belonging Officer, Lauren Schuller (laurenms@mit.edu).

Strategy and Equity (S&E) Team

The Strategy and Equity (S&E) team works to evaluate, challenge, and change the administrative and community responses to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Architecture. S&E has several major areas of focus including graduate student outreach, recruitment and admissions; student advising and mentoring; curriculum; faculty hiring and support; staff community and support; communications and data collection; and departmental climate and culture. For each focus area, S&E assesses existing conditions and practices, suggests new policies, and helps implement readily actionable items.

Diversity Resources

Institute Community & Equity Office

MIT Division of Student Life Diversity & Inclusion

LBGTQ+ Services

Women & Gender Services

Multicultural Programs

Alumni

The MIT Architecture alumni community includes architects, artists, designers, planners, and historians. Learn more about how we stay connected with this global community.

Students and faculty taking heliodon measurements of architectural scale models in Killian Court.

Photo: Deborah Tsogbe. 2023.

Research Labs and Groups

Faculty in the department lead a number of research labs and groups focused on the most pressing issues of our time, and their impacts on the fields of Architecture and Design. Areas of study include climate, migration, urban infrastructure, disaster management and risk engineering, digital techniques and tools, and the uncertainty that accompanies the present moment. Below is a non-exhaustive list of research groups and areas of focus. Explore more in the research section of our website: architecture.mit.edu/research-labs

Architecture (Un)certainty Lab

The ARCHITECTURE (UN)CERTAINTY LAB (A(U)L) is dedicated to challenging architecture’s epistemological and design capacities and bring the conversation back into a world of immersive ambiguities. The work that the lab promotes operates outside of subject-object and theory-practice dualities. A(U)L is the pedagogical wing of O(U)R, [Office for (Un)certainty Research] the project-oriented studio run by Mark Jarzombek and Vikram Prakash.

Design Intelligence Lab

The Design Intelligence Lab, directed by Marcelo Coelho, is an MIT research lab inventing new forms of expression and collaboration between human and machine intelligence. Our work draws from industrial and interaction design, digital fabrication, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence to develop new kinds of objects, interactions, and networks that fundamentally expand and enhance the experiences we can develop with data and computation.

Digital Structures

Digital Structures, a research group at MIT working at the interface of architecture, structural engineering, and computation. Digital Structures focuses on the synthetic integration of creative and technical goals in the design

and fabrication of buildings, bridges, and other large-scale structures. Led by Professor Caitlin Mueller, the group is based in MIT’s Building Technology Program in the Department of Architecture.

Future Heritage Lab

The Future Heritage Lab, led by Professor Azra Aksamija, collaborates with communities affected by conflict and crisis to collect and preserve histories of transcultural exchange and histories of threatened monuments, artifacts, textiles, and crafts. We design and implement civic-scale participatory ART projects that function as carriers of collective memory and as mediums to disseminate them.

Future Urban Collectives

Future Urban Collectives, led by Rafi Segal, is dedicated to an architecture for new forms of sharing and collaboration. As digital platforms and networks shift the production of space, trust, and value, Future Urban Collectives explores how architecture and urbanism can support and enhance cohabitation, coproduction, and coexistence across various scales of community through a combination of digital platforms and physical design outcomes.

Infrastructure Architecture Lab

The Infrastructure Architecture Lab, directed by Arindam Dutta, conducts research on the relationships between broad, macroeconomic factors driving built infrastructure and the specificities of architectural and urban form. Lab researchers combine the knowledge frameworks and techniques of economic and planning theory with the practices of architectural design to study the real-world complexities that go into the making of infrastructure and its effects on built form.

Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism

The overall goal of the MIT Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU), directed by Associate Professor Sarah Williams, is to establish a new theoretical and applied research platform to transform the quality of urban life. LCAU is committed to achieving this goal via collaborative interdisciplinary research projects, intellectual discourse, leadership forums and conferences, publications, education of a new generation of leaders in the field, and a distinctive, highly influential presence at international gatherings focused on urbanism.

P-REX: The Project for Reclamation Excellence

P-REX lab at MIT (est. in 2002 as P-REX: The Project for

Reclamation Excellence), is a sustained effort to redesign environments after large-scale landscape alteration has taken place, urban or otherwise. P-REX analyzes landscape systems to embed long-term sustainability and environmental intelligence in planning and design projects. We seek to find the largest possible ecological benefits for sites, across scales from local to regional.

Prototypes of Prefabrication Research Laboratory

The Prototypes of Prefabrication Research Laboratory (POPlab) co-directed by Anton García-Abril and Debora Mesa, investigates prefabrication in the design and construction of architecture and urban environments, applying a scientific vision that results in spaces that are better thought, better engineered, and better built. The lab works at multiple scales developing technologies and systems that aim to have an impact in our built reality.

Self-Assembly Lab

The Self-Assembly Lab, directed by Skylar Tibbits, is a cross-disciplinary research lab at MIT inventing selfassembly and programmable material technologies. Our goals are to re-imagine processes of construction, manufacturing and infrastructure in the built environment.

Structural Design Lab

The Structural Design Lab at MIT is an interdisciplinary research group focused on conceptual structural design. Led by Professor John Ochsendorf, the group includes undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Civil Engineering and Architecture. Research interests include form-finding, funicular structures, structural optimization, and interactive design processes.

Sustainable Design Lab

The Sustainable Design Lab at MIT produces speculative and applied research that facilitates the design of resourceefficient and comfortable environments at the building and neighborhood scale. The lab’s goal is to change current architectural practice by developing workflows and performance metrics that improve design solutions for occupant comfort and building energy. The Lab is led by Christoph Reinhart.

Urban Risk Lab

Operating as designers at the intersection of disaster management and risk engineering, hurricanes and earthquakes, ecology and infrastructure, rural and urban, research and action, the Urban Risk Lab is a cross-disciplinary

organization of researchers and designers addressing the most challenging aspects of contemporary urbanization. The Urban Risk Lab is directed by Miho Mazereeuw.

Virtual Experience Design Lab

The virtualXdesign seeks to pioneer the integration of immersive technologies into research and education. The lab brings together faculty, researchers and students across MIT to conduct cutting edge research on emerging digital technologies and to create innovative and thought-provoking projects at the intersection of design, science, and engineering.

Research Areas

Aerogel Insulation

Through the DuPont MIT Alliance (DMA), an interdisciplinary team led by Profs. Leon Glicksman (PI), Lorna Gibson, and Gang Chen, is developing high-performance thermal insulation panels based on a formulation of silica aerogels developed at MIT. The aerogel samples perform better than commercially available products while requiring less material; meanwhile, the innovative panel design provides great structural support with minimal impact to the conductivity.

Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture

The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT (AKPIA@ MIT) conducts a broad program of research on architectural history, landscape, water, hazards, and university campus design in the Islamic world.

Architecture Representation and Computation

Founded in 1996, the Architecture Representation and Computation Group sponsors a wide range of education and research activities to students and visiting scholars at MIT’s Department of Architecture. Led by Professor Takehiko Nagakura (PI) The group’s challenge is innovative use of computation for solving problems stemmed in contexts of architectural design practice.

Composite Architectures

Prof. Mark Goulthorpe is looking to combine digital design and fabrication logics with composite material processing to bring forward a highly automated and lightweight basebuilding methodology. By radically streamlining current building-procurement logic via a highly automated and unitary fabrication process, very environmentally benign yet highly resilient building envelopes and structures can

be attained. This work is being carried out by a network of academic and industry partners.

Computational Making Research Group

Led by Professor Terry Knight, the Computational Making research group is articulating a new area of interdisciplinary research on the processes and practices of making across contexts and scales. In recent years, there has been growing interest in materials and material practices, and in “making” and “makers”, usually revolving around digital fabrication. Our work aims to expand the study of making beyond its current bounds. We examine the potentials of computational theories and techniques for understanding and enhancing making activities.

Digital Design and Fabrication

Led by Professor Larry Sass (PI) the Digital Design and Fabrication group is a center for education and research in areas of rapid prototyping and CAD/CAM fabrication for architects and designers. The group engages faculty, students and staff in research focused on the relationship between design computing and physical output used for design representation and reflection.

The Guastavino Project

The Guastavino Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is dedicated to documenting and preserving the tile vaulted works of the Guastavino Company. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Rafael Guastavino Moreno and his son Rafael Guastavino Exposito were responsible for designing tile vaults in nearly a thousand buildings around the world, of which more than 600 survive to the present day.

Platform for a Permanent Modernity

The Platform for a Permanent Modernity (PPM) investigates operational templates of public form that integrate architecture, infrastructure, and landscape into elements of a lasting territorial order. Its hypothesis entails the possibility of a public reading of the territory through forms of permanence, while accommodating uncertainty and change within and around these interventions.

Shape Grammars

Principal researchers: George Stiny, Terry Knight, Takehiko Nagakura

This group is engaged in a broad range of work on Shape Grammars, a visual and generative system for creating and describing designs on multiple levels. Work on shape and

shape representation at the theoretical level aims at a new computational basis for design. Work on practical applications focuses on the potential of shape grammars in stylistic analysis and in the creative design process. Faculty and students are also exploring the use and development of digital and web-based technologies, computer software, and remote collaboration for supporting shape grammar applications.

The West Philadelphia Landscape Project

Directed by Anne Whiston Spirn, the West Philadelphia Landscape Project (WPLP) is a three-decade-long action research project, which integrates research and practice in ways that are synergistic through strategic design, planning, and education projects that restore nature and rebuild community. WPLP studies vexing problems that are usually treated separately, such as vacant urban land, polluted water, and troubled public schools, and views them as opportunities for integrated solutions rather than disconnected liabilities. It combines top-down (comprehensive) and bottom-up (grassroots) approaches.

Recent graduates on Commencement Day. Photo: Daisy Zhang. 2022.