West Campus Graduate Residence

West Campus
Graduate
Residence

Overview


As part of MIT’s mission to advance its commitment to expanding graduate housing, the West Campus Graduate Residence on Vassar Street will add approximately 675 new beds to MIT’s housing stock and will enrich connections with the surrounding neighborhood. Construction is expected to proceed through the end of the summer of 2024.

Located adjacent to Simmons Hall on the site of Building W89 and the West Lot parking area, the residence will encompass two new-construction buildings framing a publicly accessible central plaza and green space that will serve as a gateway to the Fort Washington Historic District and Park. Flanking the plaza, the buildings will rise in five- and six-story sections and then step up to 10-story sections beyond the historic district. Housing options will consist of studios and one-, two-, and four-bedroom units, some with exterior entries. Learn more.   

Construction Phases  


Anticipated project phases are as follows (note these dates are estimates and are subject to change):

  • January – April 2022 Site Enabling and Demolition
    • ​In preparation for demolition and foundation activities, the West Lot closed permanently on Saturday, January 15, 2022. 
    • Project mobilization in January and February will include installing fencing along the site perimeter and utility work.  
    • As part of the project, the MIT Police office, formerly in Building W89, has been relocated to newly-renovated space in W91.
       
  • March – September 2022 Foundations
    • Piles will be spliced and driven into place on the site. This is noisy work. Pile driving activities will be delayed to a 9:00 AM start through the end of the spring semester to mitigate the impact on residents abutting the site. The team is working with Housing & Residential Services to arrange additional mitigation strategies that will be communicated directly to residents.
       
  • August 2022 – August 2024 Construction and Exteriors
    • Steel structure will be erected along with envelope, interiors, utilities, and landscape. Updates will be sent as the project progresses.  

Safety Measures


Safety measures throughout construction will include:

  • Parallel street parking along certain portions of Vassar Street will be blocked off.
  • The westbound cycle track will be detoured to create a shared lane on Vassar Street (the eastbound lane will be unaffected).
  • The two Vassar Street crosswalks and the sidewalk in front of the site will be closed, and pedestrians will be directed to the south side of Vassar Street via existing crossings at Simmons Hall and at Amesbury Street.
  • The MBTA track pedestrian crossing at Fort Washington Park will be closed to the public during construction, and all circulation will be detoured to the Pacific Street Crossing between Buildings W46 and W59.
  • The Cambridge Public School bus stop currently located in front of W89 will be relocated. Details will be sent when the location is finalized.

Contact Information & Additional Information


Contact Information is as follows:

  • Questions about the new residence can be sent to west-campus-grad-info@mit.edu, which goes to members of the project team as well as the Office of Campus Planning and Housing & Residential Services.
  • Additional information about the project, including regular construction updates, is available on the Department of Facilities website