CORRECTION APPENDED

A one-time adviser to Harvard’s Allston expansion is now in hot water with the trade school down the river.

Frank O. Gehry, the renowned architect and Design School graduate, is the subject of a negligence suit brought by MIT for alleged flaws in his design of the Stata Center, the 720,000-square-foot academic complex that anchors the campus. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

MIT filed the suit last week in Suffolk Superior Court, also naming Los Angeles-based architecture firm Gehry Partners and the construction company that built the complex in the lawsuit.

MIT claims that design flaws are causing leaks, mold growth, cracks in the building’s masonry, and drainage clogs, according to The Boston Globe. Lisa F. Glahn, one of the lawyers representing MIT, declined to comment on the suit.

The complex, called the Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences, was completed in spring 2004 and praised by Pulitzer-Prize winning critic Robert Campbell as “a work of architecture that embodies serious thinking about how people live and work, and at the same time shouts the joy of invention,” according to the Web site of MIT’s facilities department.

The complex has been celebrated for its unique design, with slants, angles, and shapes that set it apart from typical laboratory or university buildings.

Toshiko Mori, chair of the Department of Architecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, said it was too early to form conclusions about what might be responsible for the Stata Center’s problems.

“Anyone’s opinion would be considered premature because no one knows,” Mori said.

MIT paid Gehry Partners $15 million to design the Stata Center, and said in its suit that it has already spent more than $1.5 million to rebuild part of the complex, according to The Boston Globe.

“Our lawsuit speaks for itself,” the statement said.

Gehry Partners did not respond to request for comment last night.

MIT students said the center is a major part of campus life, despite its unusual appearance.

“I was there today and I didn’t see any mold. It has tables, a food court, it has a lot of study spaces, and it also has a gym and a pool, and it has offices and classrooms. It basically does everything,” said MIT freshman Ann Ouyang. “When I first saw it I thought it looked like a spaceship.”

“The one word that comes to mind is crazy-looking,” said MIT senior Cindy Y. Chen.

The MIT News Office declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

Frank O. Gehry graduated from the Design School in 1957 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts in 2000 by the University. His architectural masterpieces include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

In 2004, Gehry was chosen to help plan Harvard’s Allston expansion. At the time, he told The Boston Globe he would “add some design DNA to the overall project.”

Later, in 2007, he told The Crimson that it was “way too early [to know] whether or not there will be any building by me on campus.”

CORRECTION

The Nov. 8 news article "MIT Sues Architect Gehry Over Faulty Building" incorrectly stated that architect Frank O. Gehry graduated from Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Gehry attended the school but he did not graduate from it. In addition, a photo caption accompanying the story incorrectly stated that MIT officials estimate that it will cost $1.5 million to fix the problems. In fact, the damages MIT is seeking have not been disclosed.