Ray and Maria Stata Center
The Ray and Maria Stata Center, also known as Building 32, is an academic complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), serving the Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences, and was designed by the architect Frank Gehry.
Measuring 67,000 sq. m, the complex replaced the former Building 20 which contained the historic Radiation Laboratory.
The building design is typical of Gehry’s style, with a crinkled sculptural form that has been likened to 1920s German Expressionism. It incorporates tilting towers, multi-angled walls and whimsical shapes, in an attempt to challenge conventional laboratory and campus building design. The façade materials alternate between shiny metal and red brick, with drum-shaped yellow sections, while zig-zagging metal canopies reveal street-level entrances.
The building, which was completed and opened in 2004, has been divisive. Robert Campbell, Boston Globe architecture columnist, praised the building for being ‘a metaphor for the freedom, daring and creativity of the research that’s supposed to occur inside it’.
Howver, in 2007, MIT began a civil lawsuit against Gehry and the contractors, including Skanska, for various defects which they claimed had arisen due to ‘deficient design services and drawings’. The issues were apparently resolved and the lawsuit settled in 2010.
High-profile academics who have offices in the building include Noam Chomsky, Tim Berners-Lee and Richard Stallman.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard V1 published
Free-to-access technical standard to enable robust proof of a decarbonising built environment.
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Why talking about prostate cancer matters in construction.
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch up for free, subscribe and share with your network.
The Association of Consultant Architects recap
A reintroduction and recap of ACA President; Patrick Inglis' Autumn update.
The Home Energy Model and its wrappers
From SAP to HEM, EPC for MEES and FHS assessment wrappers.
Future Homes Standard Essentials launched
Future Homes Hub launches new campaign to help sector prepare for the implementation of new building standards.
Building Safety recap February, 2026
Our regular run-down of key building safety related events of the month.
Planning reform: draft NPPF and industry responses.
Last chance to comment on proposed changes to the NPPF.
A Regency palace of colour and sensation. Book review.
Delayed, derailed and devalued
How the UK’s planning crisis is undermining British manufacturing.
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.