Harvard Allston Science Complex

With the goal of expanding its scientific core discipline, Harvard University has embarked on an ambitious masterplan to develop their Allston Campus with the proposed Allston Science Complex. Working collaboratively with Behnisch Architects; based in Stuttgart, Germany and Los Angeles, CA, we provided structural, geotechnical, and ground engineering, as well as deep excavation design services for the project. Allston Development Group, a unit of Harvard’s facility management group, is managing the overall project design.

Designed as a campus wide energy center, the four building cluster, with approximately 1m sqft of new science laboratory buildings, will be anchored together with a large scale underground space serving as utility and circulation connections between the laboratory buildings. Two supplementary basement levels will provide underground parking for the new development. Future proposed sections of the masterplan are under design and will include an additional 10m sqft of science laboratories.

With a reinforced concrete frame structure, the buildings will include large open bays and stiff floor slab systems with vibration criteria critical to the design of the floor system. Sufficient stiffness to the floor system has been incorporated into the design to allow equipment flexibility for current as well as future use within the space.

As part of the sustainability strategy for the project, all buildings have unique glass enclosed winter garden atria areas that provide circulation of natural light and also serve as large scale internal gathering spaces and gardens.

• Four laboratory science buildings with underground parking totaling 1,000,000 sqft
• Masterplan includes additional 10,000,000 sqft of science laboratories
• Glass enclosed winter garden atria areas

Related Disciplines

• Structural engineering
• Fire engineering
• Geotechnical