{"id":126692,"date":"2025-11-11T01:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T01:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/126692\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T01:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T01:40:11","slug":"studio-gang-completes-david-rubenstein-treehouse-harvards-first-mass-timber-building-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/126692\/","title":{"rendered":"Studio Gang completes David Rubenstein Treehouse, Harvard\u2019s first mass timber building | News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/p>\n

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Studio Gang<\/a> has completed the David Rubenstein Treehouse<\/a> at Harvard University<\/a>, the institution\u2019s first mass timber building. Part of Harvard\u2019s new Enterprise Research Campus<\/a> in Allston, Boston, the 55,000-square-foot facility is designed to provide flexible event and meeting spaces.<\/p>\n

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Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/a>Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/p>\n

According to the design team, the scheme\u2019s mass timber<\/a> structure reduces embodied carbon<\/a> by 55% compared to conventional materials. The building incorporates responsibly sourced wood, low-carbon concrete using recycled glass, and avoids harmful chemicals such as PFAS in its finishes and furnishings. The design targets Living Building Challenge Core and Materials Petal Certifications, and aligns with Harvard\u2019s Healthier Building Academy standards.<\/p>\n

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Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/a>Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/p>\n

The design of the scheme takes inspiration from typical treehouses<\/a>. A central, skylit stair evokes the experience of climbing into a tree canopy, while timber columns branch outward on the facade to support a cantilevered upper level. The Canopy Hall, the main interior gathering space, opens to an outdoor terrace with views over Boston. Each elevation is shaped to connect with its surroundings, with north and south facades inviting entry and east and west facades creating open pedestrian corridors.<\/p>\n

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Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/a>Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/p>\n

Energy performance strategies include rooftop solar panels, natural daylighting, and a raised-floor conditioning system. The building operates without on-site fossil fuel combustion and is linked to Harvard\u2019s District Energy Facility for heating, cooling, and electricity. Surrounding bioswales and landscaped areas promote biodiversity while managing and reusing rainwater, with landscape architecture led by SCAPE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/a>Image credit: Jason O’Rear<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Harvard alumna and faculty member, it\u2019s so rewarding to have the opportunity to help define a new chapter for Harvard\u2019s campus, \u201csaid Jeanne Gang<\/a> about the scheme. \u201cThe Rubenstein Treehouse is a building that opens itself up, welcomes all people, and serves as a visual and programmatic anchor to the ERC. Its exposed mass timber structure demonstrates Harvard\u2019s commitment to a more sustainable future.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tSimilar articles on Archinect that may interest you…<\/p>\n

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