Beacon Construction Co. is about to begin the second major phase
of the renovations to Buildings 16 and 56. Building 56, which has been
undergoing reconstruction since summer 1995, will reopen in January,
when access to Building 16 will be restricted until the entire project's
completion in February 1998. Consequently, basement and ground floor
access through Building 16 will be rerouted (see maps below).
Most former occupants of the buildings have moved to the new
biology building, which opened in 1994. The two older buildings-
containing 250,000 square feet of laboratory, office and classroom space
renovated to meet building codes and safety requirements-will be
occupied by personnel and offices now located in Building 20. That
structure is scheduled to be torn down in spring 1998. Some chemistry,
toxicology and chemical engineering facilities will also remain in
Buildings 16 and 56.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on December 11, 1996.
