Ragon Institute’s New Research Hub: A Vision in Glass and Timber

Fresh off its 15th anniversary, the Cambridge-based Ragon Institute—a collaboration between Harvard, MIT, and Mass General Hospital—has unveiled a cutting-edge 300,000-square-foot research center in the heart of Kendall Square.

Designed to foster innovation, the new facility houses state-of-the-art laboratories, a collaboration center, a café, a daycare, and underground parking. At its core, a six-story atrium serves as a central gathering space, bathed in natural light and designed to encourage interaction among researchers, scientists, and visitors.

Unicel Architectural partnered with Payette to bring this vision to life, wrapping the atrium in a striking 3,000-square-foot segmented and curved curtain wall, featuring aluminum mullions and 20-foot glass spans for a seamless blend of transparency and structural strength.

Above, an 860-square-foot Unicel Architectural Vision 700S skylight crowns the atrium. This system integrates a cassette skylight atop a mass timber glulam structure, accented by decorative steel bracing—a design that enhances both warmth and openness. Unicel Architectural provided the glulam structure and bracing, contributing to the atrium’s inviting and airy ambiance.

The LEED Gold-certified facility more than doubles the Institute’s previous space, supporting its mission to advance cross-disciplinary biomedical research in infectious diseases. With expanded capacity, the new building enables the Ragon Institute to welcome more postdoctoral students, clinicians, biologists, and scientists, further strengthening its global impact.

A testament to its architectural excellence, the project earned a Citation at the 2024 AIA New England Design Awards.

Unicel Architectural is proud to deliver mass timber, aluminum, and glazing solutions for some of the most prestigious healthcare systems, hospitals and commercial institutions in the U.S. and Canada.