Great Architects and Designers of MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has a long and storied history of graduating Nobel Prize winning scientists, renowned economists and computer wizards. Located in Cambridge, MA within a mile or so of Harvard University, MIT has a reputation of hosting a student body of mostly geeky guys in glasses, pocket protectors and sporting the latest computer gadgetry. And while there is a little truth in that stereotype, MIT students and graduates are also a decidedly creative lot, achieving success in all walks of life, including art, architecture, media, technology and even woodworking.

Architect Ogden Codman

One of the most renowned names in American architecture and interior design is Ogden Codman, Jr. who studied at MIT in the 1880’s.  A trained architect, Mr. Codman was also one of the first architects to consider the interior design of a building along with the exterior structure. His association with novelist Edith Wharton resulted in some of the most beautiful gems of American architecture and decoration such as her home in Newport called “Land’s End” and the lauded “The Mount” in Lenox, MA that was built in the early 20th century. Mr. Codman was also responsible for the interior design of two floors of “The Breakers” in Newport. Codman and Wharton shared a strong architecture and design aesthetic that lead to their collaboration on one of the first and most important books ever on interior decoration called “The Decoration of Houses.” The design of Wharton’s Lenox home, The Mount, was based on the precepts she and Codman set forth in their book - those of a return to classical architectural virtues of harmony, proportion and symmetry.

Architect I.M. Pei

Another icon of the architecture world is I.M. Pei (MIT’40), who was born in China and emigrated to the United States in 1935. While his studies at MIT (and previously University of Pennsylvania) focused on the more traditional Beaux Arts style of architecture, Pei’s interests were moving in a more modern direction and he developed a deep interest in Le Corbusier and Bauhaus architects such as Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.  While much of his career was spent working in concrete, it’s his glass clad buildings that have brought Pei much of his fame. The glass Pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre in Paris is both loved and reviled. Loved for it’s stunningly beautiful form and reviled for its juxtaposition with the classic architecture of the Palais du Louvre which was built between the 13th and 17th centuries.  It’s this juxtaposition itself that maybe best describes I.M. Pei’s views on architecture, going straight back to his school days. 

Designer Jared Schiffman

Jared Schiffman (MIT’99 and ’01) is principal of Potion Design based in New York. Potion Design works in the technology field of interaction design. Store displays that provide additional digital content to the products, bringing an interactive experience to the consumer are among their projects. Their holistic approach to their innovations encompasses input from architects, mechanics, designers, musicians and many different creative types. They seek to develop products that are supported by technology, but “bloom in response to the human touch.”

Grad Student Natan Linder

Current MIT graduate student Natan Linder just won the “Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” sponsored by Audi (as a clever promotion associated with the release of “Iron Man 2”).  Mr. Linder’s winning entry was the LuminAR, a digital light bulb capable of projecting digital content onto any surface. Want to check a recipe while baking in the kitchen? Aim the bulb at your countertop and start typing away. No need to clean pastry covered fingers to protect a keyboard! Mr. Linder received a $15,000 prize (awarded just a few weeks ago) to help further develop his invention.

Creativity coupled with a scientific approach to problem solving seems to be the hallmark of these remarkable MIT graduates over the last 150 years. A pretty good track record, in addition to all those Nobel prizes!