The Greek Revival columns notwithstanding, MIT was built on the idea of a New England factory. Low, horizontal, an emphasis on efficient spaces that could be quickly adapted as needs changed. The buildings around Killian Court epitomize this ideal, and the old Building 20, in all its barn-like splendor, honored that spirit nearly to the point of satire. But this is the genius of MIT, a system optimized for collaboration, communication, and change, and we invoke it here as we launch our sustainability blog, Horizontal Genius.
If you haven't read the recent New York Times profile on physicist Freeman Dyson, "