Behnisch Architekten designed the Science and Engineering Complex, a new facility for Harvard University's Allston campus in Boston. It will be the home of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
The 497,000-sf building will have a series of research boxes situated above a two-story transparent plinth. Classrooms and teaching labs will be in the plinth’s lowest floors, and isolated research labs will be in its highest floors. Fabrication shops, core research facilities, and a loading dock will be placed in below-grade levels. All levels are connected by a central atrium, which receives daylight from an attached courtyard.
Glass ribbons will wrap around the complex’s lowest levels. The upper boxes will be covered in a screen enclosure that both shields the building from solar heat gain during warmer months and reflects daylight into the interior.
The massing of the building will form a courtyard, which students and staff can use for outdoor recreation and other events.
The school expects 1,600 students and 360 staff members to use the building daily, and it anticipates the building to be open by 2020. Construction will begin this year.
(Click photos to enlarge)
The central atrium and the major entries have multi-story all-glass façades that are shaded by integrated roof planes at varying heights.
The massing of the building forms a new landscaped courtyard space suitable for outdoor recreation and events towards the site’s center.
As the primary home of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the complex will create public spaces at different scales throughout the building.
The new facility emphasises outdoor space, street activation, and integration with larger public space networks.
Related Stories
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
University Buildings | May 17, 2021
Carolina Gaming Arena completes at UNC Chapel Hill
Clark Nexsen designed the project.
Wood | May 14, 2021
What's next for mass timber design?
An architect who has worked on some of the nation's largest and most significant mass timber construction projects shares his thoughts on the latest design trends and innovations in mass timber.
University Buildings | May 13, 2021
Cedarville University's new dining facility includes a 300-seat Chick-fil-A
DesignGroup designed the project.
University Buildings | May 13, 2021
Education Building II at UC Riverside receives final approval
Hensel Phelps + CO Architects will be the design-build team for the project.
Healthcare Facilities | May 5, 2021
HOK to design new Waterloo Eye Institute
The project is being designed for The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science.
University Buildings | May 4, 2021
UMass Medical School’s new Education and Research Building
ZGF and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge are designing the project.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021
Perkins&Will to design new gateway building for the University of British Columbia
The building will transform the arrival experience for students, staff, and visitors.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021
The Weekly Show, April 29, 2021: COVID-19's impact on campus planning, and bird management strategies
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews a duo of industry experts on 1) how campus planning has changed during the pandemic and 2) managing bird infestations on construction sites and completed buildings.
University Buildings | Apr 19, 2021
Duke University’s Wilkinson Building completes
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the project.
