Harvard University recently celebrated the topping out ceremony of its new John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Designed by Behnisch Architekten's Boston office, the 497,000-square-foot, six-story complex at Harvard’s Allston campus will house teaching and research laboratories, classroom spaces, faculty and staff offices, and other amenity spaces.

From the architects: "Located across from Harvard Business School and adjacent to the emerging enterprise research campus, the building will be home to more than 900 undergraduates, more than 400 graduate students, over 450 researchers, and initially, as many as 80 faculty members. Additional teaching spaces, fabrication shops, core research facilities, and a loading dock will occupy two below-grade levels. All levels will be connected vertically by a central atrium space facing south toward the courtyard, which will deliver daylight to all floors and serve as the communicative heart of the complex."

"Integrated sustainable features and building systems have driven the facility’s design. Multiple atria, in combination with glazed interior partitions, will transmit daylight deep into the interior. The building’s façade is composed of three integrated systems that are designed to play a crucial role in the energy performance and occupant comfort in the building, incorporating daylighting, natural ventilation, and stringent levels of thermal performance to maximize energy savings."

"Hydronic heating and cooling systems, which save about one-third the energy of comparable air-driven systems, will provide efficient, silent,
and draft-free tempering of interior spaces. User-controlled systems will allow the individual to set his or her own preferences for lighting, ventilation, and climate control."

Completion of the building is scheduled for 2020.

All images courtesy of Behnisch Architekten.