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MIT has two portfolios of buildings. Those buildings used day-to-day by MIT for academic, residential or support activities constitute the Academic Portfolio. Most such buildings are owned by MIT and used exclusively by it for these defining activities. However, some buildings used for these activities are leased to MIT either partially or in their entirety by other owners. Those buildings owned by MIT not now used for these activities and leased to other users for income or for future conversion to academic use constitute the Investment Portfolio. The INSITE(tm) inventories include only the Academic Portfolio.
Buildings in MIT's Academic Portfolio are categorized in one of three types based on the predominant activity within them. The first, Academic, includes teaching and research facilities. The second, Residential, includes student housing and the President's house. The third, Support, includes administrative, athletic, library, medical, religious, student center, auditorium, utility/mechanical, storage and parking garage facilities. Some historical data add a fourth type, Draper, which included facilities occupied by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (previously known as the Instrumentation Laboratory) which was divested from MIT on July 1, 1963.
Only buildings in the Academic Portfolio are assigned MIT building numbers. Buildings within MIT's Main Campus are assigned numbers without an alphabetic prefix (e.g. 1 or 68). Buildings within campuses adjacent to the Main Campus are assigned numbers with a one or two letter alphabetic prefix corresponding to the compass direction of their campus relative to the Main Campus (e.g. E2 or NE43). The boundaries of these adjacent East, West, North and other campuses were drafted in a plan prepared by Donald Whiston (MIT Class of 1932). The boundaries of sectors used for numerical assignments of 10's, 20's, etcetera within each of these campuses were included in the Whiston plan (e.g. E10 to E19). MIT building numbers based on the Whiston plan are assigned to all buildings in the Academic Portfolio including buildings leased by MIT from non-MIT owners (e.g. NE20 or NW22). In this latter case the MIT numbers are used only internally and are assigned for consistency and ease of reference in administrative matters. Buildings in the Academic Portfolio that are beyond the range of the campuses adjacent to the Main Campus are referred to as Off Campus and are assigned numbers with the prefix "OC" (e.g. OC1 or OC19).
MIT building numbers sometimes include a one letter suffix corresponding to a combined supplementary or auxiliary physical status and functional role of the structure to which such a building number is assigned. This assignment is in relation to another adjoining or adjacent or nearby principal structure to which is assigned the same building number without any letter suffix (e.g. 4A and 4 or 12A and 12).
On the other hand, sometimes a one letter suffix corresponds to the physical status of the structure as a component of a larger structure while its functional role is the equal in stature of that of all other components of the larger structure (e.g. 7A and 7 or 14S and 14). In this case there may be no component of the larger structure which is assigned simply the basic building number without any letter suffix (e.g. 20A through 20F or E21A).
Within the Main Campus, buildings to the west of the Great Dome are numbered with odd numbers and buildings to the East of the Great Dome are numbered with even numbers. This plan was effected in 1917 with completion of the first MIT buildings on the Cambridge site at the time of the Institute's move from it's original Boston location.
When buildings are counted at MIT those building numbers with one letter suffixes are counted differently in different cases. With one exception, in the case of residential buildings that have multiple components that carry letter suffixes the overall structure is counted as one building (e.g. 62 or W61). The exception is W85 high-rise counted as one building and W85A-B-C, W85D-E, W85F-G and W85H-J-K low-rises counted as four buildings.
With one exception, in the case of non-residential buildings that have auxiliaries or components that carry letter suffixes each auxiliary or component is counted as one building (e.g. 12A or 7A or 20A through 20F) as is each principal structure (e.g. 12 or 7). The exception is 14 and 14N-S-E-W which taken together are counted as one building. The INSITE(tm) inventories count MIT buildings in the manner described above.
In the 1960's the Federal Construction Council established definitions and standards for measuring and compiling data on buildings. These definitions were published in Federal Construction Council Technical Report No. 50 (Publication 1235), Classification of Building Areas, National Academy of Sciences, Building Research Advisory Board. They were included with and supplemented by a hierarchy of more detailed classifications of building space and their definitions published in Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual, 1973, USDHEW, Office of Education which was updated as Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual, Revised and Reprinted April 1994, USDOE, National Center for Education Statistics. Intended for use by federal agencies, these definitions have been widely adopted by colleges and universities over many years, including MIT.
The resulting classifications and definitions begin below with definitions of building areas, and conclude with definitions of room use at the Room Inventory Definitions link on the Space Accounting homepage. It should be noted that all building area measurements relating to and building area data recorded in the INSITE(tm) inventories are in terms of square feet.
Gross Area = Structural Area + Useable Area
Definition: The sum of all areas on all floors of a building
included within the outside faces of its exterior walls including floor
penetration areas, however insignificant, for circulation and shaft
areas that connect one floor to another.
Structural Area
Definition: The sum of all areas on all floors of a building
that cannot be occupied or put to use because of structural building
features. (I.E. Principally the sum of all cross-sectional areas of
exterior walls and interior partitions.)
Useable Area = Assignable Area + Nonassignable Area
Definition: The sum of all areas on all floors of a building
either assigned to or available for assignment to an occupant or
specific use or necessary for the general operation of a building.
(I.E. Included within the inside faces of its walls and partitions.)
Assignable Area = Sum of areas of ten Major Uses
Definition: The sum of all areas on all floors of a
building assigned to or available for assignment to an occupant
or specific use.
Major Uses
Classrooms
Laboratories
Offices
Study
Special Use
General Use
Support
Health Care
Residential
Unclassified
Nonassignable Area = Sum of areas of three Major Uses
Definition: The sum of all areas on all floors of a
building not available for assignment to an occupant or for
specific use but necessary for the general operation of a
building.
Major Uses
Building Service Area
Circulation Area
Mechanical Area