The renovation of MIT’s Samuel Tak Lee Building (Building 9) established a welcoming home for the Samuel Tak Lee MIT Real Estate Entrepreneurship Lab. Founded in 2015, the STL Lab promotes social responsibility among entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the real estate and urban development fields, with a particular focus on China.

Originally built in 1968, Building 9 was designed by architect William Netsch and Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. The six-story structure provided a vital link between Buildings 7, 13, and 33, and served as the original home for MIT’s Center for Advanced Engineering Study (CAES). Among the building’s notable features are a limestone veneer exterior and an abbreviated tower.

Current occupants of the building include the Department of Urban Studies & Planning (where the STL Lab is housed), the MIT Center for Real Estate, and the Office of Digital Learning. The renovation created dedicated space for the STL Lab while integrating it with existing uses to produce a multipurpose hub of planning and development activity. The centerpiece of the new configuration is a flexible “city arena” on the second floor where students, faculty, and guests can work together in an interactive workspace supported by cutting-edge communications and presentation technology.

In addition to the overall modernization of its classroom and office spaces, the building received major infrastructure upgrades, including new windows and air handling equipment, to improve energy efficiency and accessibility.