ARCHITECTURE
The academic rivalry between two prestigious MIT lab directors will soon be fought with bulldozers. Michael Dertouzos and Nicholas Negroponte, directors of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) and Media Lab respectively, are overseeing the construction of new buildings, with both projects scheduled to break ground next year.
As befits these distinguished academics, both men insist that no conflict exists. "I have seen and heard the press allude to a fierce rivalry, which is misleading," says Negroponte, a member of the original Wired team and a former investor and columnist.
"Somebody's always trying to put us against each other," Dertouzos says. "People seem to like it."
Well, you know how people can be. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the two men are rarely seen in the same room, even though their labs conduct research in overlapping areas. And maybe there's no significance to the fact that Negroponte was a no-show at a big launch party for the LCS's new building, although Dertouzos says Negroponte sent "a warm congratulations letter." And who cares if both men have enlisted prize-winning architects to build their ivory towers? The important thing is that MIT students will have a roof over their heads, and a gilded one at that.
"It's very exciting to have our own castle," Dertouzos exults about the William H. Gates Building, named after Microsoft's chair following Gates' $20 million gift. "It's a bit of a Taj Mahal." For his part, Negroponte drummed up $27 million from Sega chair Isao Okawa to fund his monument.
Construction will take place simultaneously, although Dertouzos' building is scheduled to be finished first, in mid-2002. You won't be able to see one building from the other, though they'll be within shouting distance. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that - a neighborhood this fancy deserves peace and quiet.
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