J. Meejin Yoon

J. Meejin Yoon

Sean Collier Memorial, 2015
Granite
6,300 sq. ft., 320 tons
Höweler + Yoon Architecture, LLP

Location: Ray and Maria Stata Center (Building 32), Vassar Street Entrance

Commissioned to honor Officer Sean Collier, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 18th, 2013, the Sean Collier Memorial at MIT marks the site of tragedy with a timeless structure—a form that embodies the concept of strength through unity. Designed by J. Meejin Yoon, cofounder of Höweler + Yoon Architecture, the memorial is composed of thirty-two blocks of granite that support each other to form a vaulted, ovoid space of remembrance that extends outward in five directions. The memorial’s overall shape evokes a star as well as an open hand, referencing MIT’s motto Mens et Manus (Mind and Hand), while the negative space at the center of the radial walls is a passage, a marker, and an aperture that reframes the site.

Yoon’s design combines age-old structural techniques for spanning masonry vaults with new digital fabrication and structural computation technologies to create an unprecedented form. The structure relies on the exact fit of thirty-two stone blocks to transfer loads in pure compression from stone to stone; the tapered shapes of the individual blocks reveal the keystone geometry of the masonry arch. Though massive, the shallow vault also appears weightless overhead. This visualization of forces is consistent with MIT’s ethos of openness and transparency, while the idea that all five walls are needed to achieve a stable form is symbolic of a community coalescing to commemorate a loss. The memorial offers the opportunity to remember Officer Sean Collier and honor his life and service.

MIT appreciates thoughtful offerings left in memory of and honoring Officer Sean Collier. Please note that in the interest of public safety and the appearance of the memorial, MIT will remove the items placed at the site of the memorial. Thank you for your understanding.

J. Meejin Yoon (b. 1972) was born in Seoul, South Korea. After earning a BA in architecture from Cornell University, she earned a graduate degree in urban design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In 2000, she founded MY Studio, which later became Höweler + Yoon Architecture. In 2001, she began teaching at MIT in the Department of Architecture, where she brought an emphasis on integrating technology with design. After more than a decade of teaching at MIT, she became the head of the department. In 2018, she joined Cornell University as Dean at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

Through Höweler + Yoon Architecture, Yoon has designed projects including the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia; Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts; Brown University Library in Providence, Rhode Island; and numerous other institutional and residential buildings. Her work has also been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Vitra Design Museum, Rhein, Germany; and Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy. Yoon was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2021.

PROJECT DESIGN TEAM

Design: J. Meejin Yoon, AIA
Architect of Record: Höweler + Yoon Architecture LLP
Specialty Masonry Consultant: Ochsendorf DeJong and Block Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineer: Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering
Structural Engineer of Record: RSE Associates
Landscape Architect: Richard Burck Associates
Civil Engineer: Nitsch Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: McPhail Associates
Lighting Designer: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
Electrical Engineer: AHA Consulting Engineers
Typographic Consultant: Francesca Bolognini
MIT Research Assistants: William Plunkett (SMBT ’15), Corentin Fivet (Post Doc), Euipoom Estelle Yoon (BSA ’16), Anna Kaertner (BSA ’15), Cecile Lu (BSA ’16), Marianna Gonzalez (Wellesley BA ’16)

Sean Collier Permanent Memorial Committee
Martin Schmidt, Provost and Professor of Electrical Engineering
John DiFava, Director of Facilities Operations and Security
Steven Hall, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Chair of the Faculty
Mark Jarzombek, Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture
Kris Brewer Webmaster, School of Engineering
Sara Ferry Graduate Student, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Sally Miller, Undergraduate Student Mechanical Engineering
Kevin O’Connor, Patrol Officer MIT Police
Cheryl Vossmer, Sergeant MIT Police
MIT Construction Management Team
Richard Amster, Director of Facilities Operations and Security
Paul J. Murphy, Program Manager Special Projects
Jennifer Combs, Project Manager Special Projects
Julie Azzinaro, Project Assistant

Construction Team
Construction Manager: Suffolk Construction
Stone Fabricator: Quarra Stone Company, LLC
Granite Erector: Phoenix Bay State Construction Company
Granite Supplier (Quarry): Virginia Mist Group
Landscape Contractor: Valleycrest Landscape Development
Granite and Field Surveyor: Feldman Land Surveyors
Geotechnical Construction Company: Hayward Baker
Concrete Placement: G&C Concrete Construction
Paver Supplier: Hanover Pavers
Electrical Contractor: Gaston Electrical Co. Inc.
Construction Labor: Liberty Construction
Site Development Contractor: James W. Flett Co. Inc.

Accession Number: 2015.011