Event Description

The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex, completed in 2020, houses the John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The 500,000+ sf building is situated in Allston and is part of the larger development strategy in the investment of science and technology in the local region. Behnisch Architekten believed in infusing the new engineering complex with humanistic values and environmental stewardship.

The building integrates timeless sustainable design strategies, such as ample operable windows to minimize mechanical air exchange and conditioning, the crescent shaped massing shapes a south-facing courtyard to optimize daylight and passive solar heat gain in the winter. Energy-efficient hydronic heating and cooling systems are embedded into the floors and ceiling panels, improving user comfort in the public areas. The façade features the world’s first hydroformed sun shading system which was designed to protect the interior from overheating in the summer and allows for passive solar heat gain in the winter. The building is arranged with a playful language around 5 neighborhoods of smaller sun-lit atria which connect into a large south-facing atrium.

This spatially and socially bridges the individual to the group, and to the larger collective interface between Harvard, the local community, nature, and the public realm.

Presenters

Christine Napolitano, AIA | Partner at Behnisch Architekten

Michelle Lee | Building Envelope + Research Specialist at Behnisch Architekten

Topic

Advancing Architecture