SoMa Site 3 Lab Building

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Rooted in Place, Built for Discovery

Part of MIT’s ambitious South of Main Street (SoMa) Development in the heart of Kendall Square’s innovation hub, this laboratory and office building is designed to attract tenants from small incubator start-ups to global pharma clients. The existing Main Street building’s exterior was restored while the interior was retrofitted to provide leasable space. Ground-floor retail along the perimeter enlivens the area with restaurants, service, and specialty retail, promoting pedestrian-oriented activities and enhancing MIT’s culture of innovation. A refreshed entry and dynamic lobby link the addition to the restoration.

Set within the sensitive context of Cambridge, the building’s design reinforces the scale and character of its neighborhood and maintains the pedestrian scale of Kendall Square. MIT’s commitment to placemaking shaped every decision—fostering inclusivity while safeguarding the character that makes Kendall Square distinct.

Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Investment Management Company
Size: 451,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2021
Sustainability: LEED Gold

Awards:
Finalist, Mixed Use
The Plan Awards, 2023
Design Excellence Awards Citation of Merit, Large Project Category
AIA Chicago, 2022
Design Awards, Citation
AIA New England, 2022

The design aesthetic of the project follows the City of Cambridge’s urban design guidelines and highlights the interaction with the public realm.

The rotation of the two masses creates a cantilever that shelters and defines the lobby below.

The twisted mass frames a new outdoor gathering space at the eastern terminus of the university’s famed “Infinite Corridor,” while tempering the building’s perceived scale along Main Street. By pivoting the structure, the design reduces both the massing and shadows cast to the north, and gives rise to a roof terrace overlooking the public open space below.

Diagram illustrating the rotation of geometric shapes, focusing on three-dimensional forms with dashed lines and arrows indicating movement.

A five-story base supports a six-story mass rotated ninety degrees above, generating dramatic cantilevers.

Interior view of a multi-level building showcasing glass elevators, brick walls, and a walkway with people navigating the space.

This laboratory and office building is designed to attract tenants from small incubator start-ups to global pharma clients.

Site 3 was designed in concert with several neighboring buildings and a significant public open space, with Perkins&Will serving as architect of record for the entire development.

Two people converse on a rooftop terrace with greenery, seating areas, and city skyline views in the background. Cloudy sky overhead.

Hyper-flexible floor plates appeal to a wide range of tenants and accommodate future changes in building function through the strategic use of flexible and efficient building systems.

Curtain wall fins shade the glass facades while introducing a textured pattern derived from the Fibonacci sequence. Their density varies in response to solar exposure and the shading provided by neighboring buildings.

The masonry of the existing façade is maintained to provide warmth and to balance the simplicity and modern language of the addition.

Flexible Design Strategies

The 25,000 square foot floorplate responds to market demands and provides flexible space for single or multiple tenants to carry out complex research.

A Community of Science

A range of science tenants—from a world-renowned pharmaceutical firm to a mid-stage life sciences company and a dynamic incubator startup—occupy the building as a vertical community of science. Each tenant’s space was uniquely designed to reflect their individual mission, culture, and scientific identity. Together, they embody both the particular and the whole: a community of innovators that fits seamlessly into the broader fabric of Kendall Square, MIT, and Cambridge.