Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s LEED Gold certified Sloan School of Management (Sloan) School’s new home strengthens its identity and gives its community an improved sense of place, while promoting academic and social interaction and collaboration. The brownfield redevelopment’s design features include 205 offices, 6 classrooms, over 30 group study rooms, dining, Executive Education suite, lounge areas, and new, usable outdoor spaces, including a rebuild of Sloan Plaza. The $142 million building was largely funded by generous donations from MIT alumni and friends. Spread over 215,000 square feet, E62 serves as home to the entire MIT Sloan faculty, marking the first time in decades that all faculty members have been housed under one roof.

“MIT Sloan’s newest building and the Joan and William A. Porter 1967 Center for Management Education serve as the physical and intellectual center of MIT Sloan. Built over the course of three years, our flagship building marks the beginning of an overall revitalization of the MIT Sloan campus and provides a dynamic platform for cross-disciplinary collaboration by bringing together our entire faculty under one roof.

“Reflecting MIT Sloan’s educational emphasis on teamwork and discussion, the new building features an abundance of gathering places where students and faculty can interact outside of the classroom. E62 also bears the distinction of being the “greenest” building at MIT, showcasing sustainable features such as light-sensitive window shades, a green roof, and an irrigation system that minimizes water use by responding to changes in weather,” (MIT About E62).

The green roof at the new Sloan School of Management building is the first extensive green roof system to be built at MIT. Situated on the Charles River across from the city of Boston, this green roof is visible from several floors of the building as employees and students look out to the city. Due to the location of this building the green roof had to follow the rigorous standards set forth by FM Global for buildings in hurricane zones. This green roof combines innovative technology with low maintenance plants to create a beautiful, functional landscape atop the building. It is estimated that the roof will retain approximately 115,000 gallons of stormwater a year.

The ZinCo USA vegetated system is built on top of a Sika Sarnafil PVC single-ply membrane. The 4” extensive system was established from cuttings and includes 11 varieties of Sedum, specially chosen to thrive in the harsh environment of an unirrigated green roof: Sedum acre ‘Golden Carpet,’ Sedum album ‘Green Ice,’ Sedum divergens, Sedum floriferum ‘Weihenstephaner Gold,’ Sedum rupestre, Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina,’ Sedum rupestre ‘Green Spruce,’ Sedum sichotense, Sedum spurium ‘Fuldaglut,’ Sedum spurium ‘John Creech,’ and Sedum spurium ‘Summer Glory.’