The redesigned spaces embody a pedagogical vision for language and intercultural education that places community at the center of the learning process. Research in second language acquisition has highlighted the importance of meaningful interaction and sustained participation in communities of practice for successful language learning. The new Global Languages spaces support this with bright and welcoming environments where students can comfortably develop foundational communicative language skills.

The renovation increased the usable space of the unit’s classrooms, where students move frequently to speak and learn with a variety of conversation partners throughout a class session. Lightweight student desks and mobile instructional surfaces enable rapid reconfiguration of the room, facilitating pair and group work, while whiteboards that wrap around the rooms support collective meaning-making and visible thinking. These subtle design choices encourage pedagogical practices that emphasize negotiation of meaning and peer-to-peer engagement as key drivers of language development.

At the same time, Global Languages is attentive to the evolving role of artificial intelligence in language and intercultural communication. While the unit is actively promoting the integration of AI into language curricula, it is equally committed to cultivating face-to-face, human-centered learning environments. The Covid era highlighted the importance of these in-person interactions for developing real-world communicative competence, intercultural awareness, and the nuanced interpersonal skills that cannot be fully replicated through technological mediation. The new spaces reflect this dual commitment: embracing cutting edge innovation while reaffirming the centrality of community in language learning.

At the center of the new layout is the Global Languages Commons, a co-working and gathering space for language students that features a growing collection of student-selected multilingual materials, from board games and novels to comics and travel guides across the unit’s target languages. Framed by interior glass walls that allow natural light to flood through to the main corridor, the space is conceived as a hub for informal interaction outside of class. Within weeks of opening, the Commons has already begun to extend learning beyond the classroom and foster a sense of shared linguistic and cultural community. An adjacent Zoom-enabled conference room provides reliable connections for remote guests in classes and co-curricular events, while a collapsible wall allows both spaces to expand into a larger venue for language group events. Reservable huddle rooms offer flexible spaces for small breakout groups, tutoring sessions, learning accommodations, and meetings with instructors. Shared offices for Global Languages instructors were designed with student access to office hours at the forefront, recognizing sustained mentorship and individualized interaction as critical components of effective language learning.

Architects from Amenta Emma worked closely with Global Languages and MIT renovation staff to create these functional and flexible spaces aligned with contemporary language pedagogy. The previous layout, which originally housed the Language Learning and Resource Center, included media editing rooms and a computer lab that became inflexible and difficult to access after its closure in 2013. The new design replaces static, technology-centered spaces with dynamic, interaction-oriented environments that better reflect current understandings of language learning and education technology.

Currently the largest unit in MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in terms of student enrollment and engagement, Global Languages has expanded its offerings over the last decade, adding multiple language programs and continuing to attract undergraduates as well as an increasing number of graduate students from across the Institute. With approximately one quarter of MIT undergraduates graduating with a concentration in a language program, the redesigned spaces provide infrastructure to support the unit’s growth. Global Languages is proud that the new spaces and its innovative curriculum directly contribute to the education of the next generation of ethical change-makers with a global mindset at MIT.

[Authors: Joseph Borkowski and Per Urlaub]