Education

Vanderweil Completes HKS Project

HKS exterior south building / renderings by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

Boston – R.G. Vanderweil Engineers, LLP, a Boston-based, full-service engineering firm, collaborated with architectural design firm Robert A.M. Stern (RAMSA) on the design of two new pavilion buildings, a gateway building, and winter garden on the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Cambridge campus.

The project adds 91,000sf of indoor space to the campus. The pavilion buildings were designed and constructed with the objective of creating a campus that better amplifies the school’s mission, allowing students to engage in learning both inside and outside of the classroom. In doing so, by completing this project, the campus now offers inviting and comfortable, collaborative spaces which further inspire engagement and learning.

In an effort to address the lack of collaborative interaction space on its campus, the school decided to create new spaces with an emphasis on improved daylight, wayfinding, and identity, and better connect the campus to the nearby Charles River and Harvard Square. As a result, the construction of the collaborative pavilion (consisting of the south and west pavilion buildings) was built.

HKS gateway building

The new buildings house a relocated and expanded kitchen and dining area, flexible classrooms, 24-hour study space, and tiered offices and support spaces. The two-story gateway building connects the Taubman and Belfer buildings, creating an inviting campus entry point. The south pavilion building bisects the existing courtyard, creating an opportunity for a glass-roofed winter garden atrium space and raised courtyard which can also be used for gatherings.

The creation of the raised central courtyard now unifies the campus and enables the preservation of green space while providing new space for underground deliveries and storage, back-of-house operations, and covered bike parking.

This project was also designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and to meet Harvard University green design guidelines.