The Harvard Allston Land Company (HALC) in Boston has selected a development team led by Tishman Speyer, Studio Gang, and Henning Larsen to create the first phase of a new research campus at Harvard University.
The proposed 36-acre Enterprise Research Campus, according to The Harvard Gazette, could bring a mix of laboratories, residences, and commercial uses to a former industrial rail yard situated in the town of Allston on the banks of the Charles River. Also included on the project team are design firm Utile and landscape architects SCAPE. The project team, as it happens, is powered by three woman-led offices: Mette Kynne Frandsen at Henning Larsen, Jeanne Gang at Studio Gang, and Kate Orff at SCAPE.
Phase one of the project measures 14 acres in size and has received initial regulatory approval for 900,000 square feet of new development from the Boston Planning and Development Agency. The plan for the district, which has not been wholly formalized, could unite research facilities, a conference center, a hotel, and other supporting programs to create "a center for innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship, bringing together partners from across greater Boston and beyond," according to a project press release. Though the specific components of the project are yet to be decided, the developer and architects have arrived an an approach for a site organized around "open spaces that are configured to simultaneously maximize user comfort and offer a diverse mix of program potential," according to the university.
Studio Gang founder, and Harvard GSD alumna, Jeanne Gang, said via press release, “Capturing the spirit of innovation of the Enterprise Research Campus, our design will transform a former industrial site into a fertile new ground for the exchange of ideas and creative expression." Gang added, "We envision a neighborhood brought to life with low-carbon buildings and resilient green spaces that foster community and connect people to their natural environment."
Tishman Speyer and Studio Gang are currently working on a series of projects together, including a rumpled residential tower in San Francisco's Mission Rock development and 11 Hoyt, a wavy residential tower in Brooklyn.
4 Comments
I am a proud member of the Gang gang. Though in the rendering I would prefer more plants, less paving.
I have complete faith they will work it out!
I wonder if they'll use this opportunity to explore the mistakes made on their seminal Chicago tower project?
You can almost guarantee the slabs will not be thermally broken.
I wonder what it says about Cambridge, that they keep hiring architecture firms that can't deal with basic thermal envelope issues?
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.