Simmons Hall Canvas Print

Simmons Hall (2002)
After the alcohol-related death of an MIT freshman living in an off-campus fraternity in 1998, the MIT administration settled the resulting lawsuit under the stipulation that all freshmen be required to live on campus. This resulted in a need for beds for 300 freshmen who previously would have lived off-campus. Steven Holl and Associates were chosen to lead the design for a new dormitory in 1999. Simmons Hall has been nicknamed "The Sponge", because the architect consciously modeled the shape and internal structure on a sea sponge. The building has 350 student rooms, 5,538 2-foot square windows, and is constructed of 291 customized precast, steel-reinforced Perfcon panels.

Julie Niemela, a Washington D.C. native, is a self-taught artist with a passion for photography and abstract painting. She is best known for her zen circle (enso) paintings. She has sold her work to collectors in the USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, and the UK.