Media Lab Construction Is Scheduled To Finish in Nov., MIT Facilities Says
Construction of the new Media Lab is on track to finish in November, according to Arne Abramson, who is managing the project.
Meanwhile, steam pipes are being replaced on Amherst Alley, a project that should finish sometime over the next week, according to the MIT Facilities website.
Normal hours for construction have been from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but as the finishing touches are put on the new facility, Abramson said people should expect more weekend construction to take place.
Media Lab construction began in June 2007. When complete, the new facility will connect to E15, the lab’s current home, will add 163,000 square feet of space, and will be shared by several programs, including Visual Arts and Comparative Media Studies. The new building includes lab space, meeting rooms, and office space arranged in an open layout designed to allow different groups to interact freely, according to the MIT Facilities website. Exhibit space is also planned.
Construction noise has disturbed some residents of East Campus’s east parallel. Anthony J. Tortorello ’10 said, “I used to live street-side when they had pile drivers going. It kind of affected my studies. Like when the vibration shook the table so much that my monitor fell off.”
Some residents, especially those whose rooms face east, toward the construction site, have been woken up in the morning by construction.
Construction has been less disruptive to residents whose rooms face the courtyard. Jessica C. Agatstein ’12 said, “I’m fairly indifferent, but I know that it has bothered some people in the dorm.”
Complaints related to construction on Amherst Alley mostly concern the lack of a sidewalk for a portion of the street, where bikers and pedestrians must share a narrow space. Jeremiah J. Noordhoek ’11, who rides a bike to class says, “In the morning, when I’m trying to get to class on time, I have to stop and wait for people to walk by. There’s just no room.”