'Designed to be different': Harvard unveils Rubenstein Treehouse - Harvard Gazette

"With its facade of Alaskan yellow cedar, its bird-safe glass, and its branch-like mass timber beams, the David Rubenstein Treehouse, Harvard's first University-wide conference center, has been designed to create a unique visual experience for visitors and to facilitate collaboration and social connection. The building, which began hosting private events this month, will serve as the "front door" to the adjacent Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) in Allston."

"It was made possible by a gift from David Rubenstein, whose history of giving and service to Harvard extends over the past several decades. "Since planning began on the ERC, one of our primary goals was to create a convening space at the University that would serve not only as a hub for sharing and innovating across disciplines but also for wider collaboration among academic, industry, and public and community leaders," said Harvard Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick."

"The building's proximity to both Harvard Business School and Harvard's Science and Engineering Complex supports its role as a convening space, and its design features are intended to facilitate collaboration and connection. "Conference facilities are often closed-off spaces that lack connections to the communities and environment around them, but this building is designed to be different," said the building's design architect, Jeanne Gang, M.Arch. '93, founding partner of Studio Gang and Kajima Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design."

The David Rubenstein Treehouse uses Alaskan yellow cedar facade, bird-safe glass, and branch-like mass timber beams to create a distinctive visual experience and social atmosphere. The facility serves as Harvard's first University-wide conference center and functions as the "front door" to the Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. A gift from David Rubenstein funded the building. The center's proximity to Harvard Business School and the Science and Engineering Complex supports interdisciplinary convening among academic, industry, public, and community leaders. Design strategies emphasize openness, visual connections across levels, abundant natural light, and framed campus views to encourage collaboration and welcome diverse participants.

Read at Harvard Gazette