Tech Connection: Tech Trivia (August 3, 2024)

The Answer Is: Building 20

The Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information, and Intelligence Sciences is built on the site of MIT’s legendary Building 20, a “temporary” timber-framed building that was constructed during World War II and served as the home of the Radiation Laboratory or “Rad Lab” from 1943 to 1945. The building later served as a breeding ground for many great MIT-originated ideas before it was demolished in 1998. 

The Ray and Maria Stata Center opened on the site in 2004. Designed by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, the Stata Center is meant to carry on Building 20’s innovative and serendipitous spirit, and to foster interaction and collaboration across many disciplines. The building is home to the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. Its striking design—featuring tilting towers, many-angled walls, and whimsical shapes—challenges much of the conventional wisdom of laboratory and campus building.