Boston University Photonics Center

A high mass rising above the Massachusetts Turnpike, this nine-story structure, built of red brick, concrete, and glass, is devoted to the technology of photonics—the practical application of light based on lasers and sophisticated fiber optics. Delicate electro-optical equipment necessitated soundproofing of lower stories upon a four-foot-thick vibrationproof foundation. Complex infrastructure was further complicated because the building also includes chemical laboratories needing special air-circulation equipment. Partial funding for this building came from the Office of Naval Research, whose goal was the promotion of new technologies to strengthen U.S. defense capabilities. The center, with its state-of-the-art facilities, was designed to encourage small inventive entrepreneurs and thus serves as an incubator for new business with an orientation toward the marketplace.