130_William Toohey III: Vertical Corridor

William Toohey III

University: Wentworth Institute of Technology
Instagram username: @tooheyiii

ABOUT ME:

I am currently enrolled at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) as a 4th-year undergraduate student. I will pursue my Masters in Architecture starting the fall of 2017. I have been a member of two different architecture practices: Arrowstreet, Inc. and TMS Architects, located in Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH, respectively. I grew up around New Hampshire's seacoast area and currently live in the city of Boston.

Vertical Corridor

PROJECT NARRATIVE

A new grand gesture in both vertical and horizontal planes allows for the redirection of MIT's Infinite Corridor. The proposed master plan is a thoughtful response to Eero Saarinen’s 1954 master plan, the current site context, and MIT’s needs and desires as a leading institution in science and engineering. Identifying 9 concepts visible through the lens of a mid-twentieth century architect allowed for setting the framework for a design process relevant in today’s world with great hopes for the future built environment. After a class-wide site analysis, the current state of West Campus presents a few problems worth solving through architectural intervention: a lack of identity and loosely defined/underutilized public space.

Maintaining awareness of these site problems, in conjunction with MIT’s increasing demand for on-campus housing, provided the necessary elements for what led to the proposed master plan. The blending of local landscape with the proposed architecture helps create a new platform for an engaging new dialogue between students and the general public, rewarding the community with new perspectives that contribute to West Campus's new identity. Vertically-focused architecture within the immediate context of Kresge Auditorium, the MIT Chapel, and the Student Center encourages a new dynamic of social interaction on campus and responds to a spectrum of scales: from city to room. The vertical corridor generates a new and exciting social exchange between the student body and local Cambridge community.