High-Profile: September 2026 | Page 34

34 High-Profile Focus: Schools and Institutions September 2026

By Aaron Martin

The Metropolitan Warehouse, MIT Building W41, is a 500-foot-long masonry storage facility built between 1894 and 1911. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the first building of its type and use in New England.

MIT acquired the building in 1962, continuing to use it as a storage facility until 2016. In 2019, Diller Scofidio + Renfro began conversion of the historic building, creating a new design hub for the University that would house the School of Architecture + Planning( SA + P), Department of Urban Studies( DUSP), Project Manus( MIT’ s makerspace initiative), and others. The gut renovation intended to combine old and new, providing makerspaces, studios, academic and research offices, and areas for collaboration, while honoring the landmark architecture.

In June 2024, with design complete and construction fully underway for a year, a significant loss of funding fundamentally altered the project’ s financial framework and overall building program, necessitating redesign of approximately 58 % of the building. Walls, room adjacencies, and functional spaces had to be reconfigured even as construction progressed. The team was challenged with keeping contractors on the job while extensive design revisions were made during the four-month redesign period.

With reprogramming affecting all five floors, Altieri’ s team took a systematic

MIT Rendering Courtesy of Diller Scofidio Renfro

approach to minimizing disruption, waste, and additional cost. The team began by space-proofing centralized infrastructure, confirming that risers already in place could support the revised program. This allowed contractors to continue working while design efforts focused on areas requiring more significant changes. Altieri inventoried specified equipment( in some cases already purchased or delivered) for the original design, evaluating which could be adapted to new uses or which were no longer needed. An open shop area, for example, was converted to classroom space, eliminating the need for exhaust equipment specified for shop activities. A large air handling unit( AHU) already delivered to the site was stored for potential future use. An organized and deliberate process helped the team preserve as much of the original investment as possible while adapting the building’ s systems to a new set of needs.

Of the many lessons learned, project team communication, cooperation, and responsiveness were the most critical to sequencing work, keeping the process moving, and minimizing cost overruns

and delays. Engaging in candid dialogue about the impact that redesign requests could have on project cost and schedule allowed for reprogramming efforts to proceed with limited disruption. Institutional knowledge of project intent for both design team members and construction and coordination teams was also a key driver of success. Knowing the architectural design intent and why original decisions were made, such as distribution pathways, finishes selections, and areas of the building that were restricted due to existing conditions, was critical in producing a redesign that would seamlessly integrate into the previous design. Team institutional knowledge allowed for implementation of a large magnitude of changes without losing time on design pathways that could lead to installation issues or challenges fulfilling project requirements.

“ From early design through construction, the Altieri team provided consistent leadership and collaboration, fostering strong working relationships with the architectural, structural, AV, acoustical, and construction teams,” explains Kari Nystrom, Altieri’ s principal in charge.“ These relationships created a cohesive project environment where shared success remained the focus and challenges could be resolved quickly and collaboratively, keeping the project moving forward.”

Successful projects are measured not only by their original plans but by how effectively teams respond when circumstances fundamentally change. The MIT Metropolitan Warehouse project demonstrates the importance of expertise, collaboration, and pragmatic decision-making.

Aaron Martin, PE, LEED AP, is a principal at Altieri.

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Nashua, NH— Nappa Electrical Contractors recently completed a 42,000sf renovation of Benoit Hall at Rivier University, delivering electrical and technology work to support the university’ s evolving academic and campus environment. The renovation includes expanded divisional office suites, computer-equipped classrooms, seminar rooms, and collaborative learning spaces.

The project included new power distribution for mechanical systems, such as a chiller, energy recovery unit, and heating and cooling pumps, along with a completely new fire alarm system throughout the building.

Nappa’ s Technology Division installed new technology infrastructure, including MDF and IDF rooms with branch wiring

Benoit Hall at Rivier University

throughout the facility. The team also provided lighting and power installations for offices, classrooms, conference rooms, meeting spaces, restrooms, and lounge areas.