The Department of Biological Engineering was founded in 1998 as a new MIT academic unit, with the mission of defining and establishing a new discipline fusing molecular life sciences with engineering.
The goal of biological engineering is to advance fundamental understanding of how biological systems operate and to develop effective biology-based technologies for applications across a wide spectrum of societal needs including breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, in design of novel materials, devices, and processes, and in enhancing environmental health.
IKM designed teaching laboratories, research laboratories, and new office suites for the department headquarters and administration. During construction, which was spread throughout six floors of two buildings, adjacent lab and classroom spaces were able to maintain continuous operation without disruption.
