Harvard’s first mass timber building has topped out with the David Rubenstein Treehouse, named after the noted philanthropist, promising to be a venue “for sharing and learning across disciplines and collaborating with government, industry, and world leaders.”
That is according to Studio Gang—the architect behind New York’s groundbreaking timber theatre and the California College of the Arts (CCA)—responsible for the new conference centre, the first stage of a US $750m Enterprise Research Campus announced last year.
Wood Central understands that the new building combines cross-laminated timber panels and glulam timber beams – with the design inspired by a tree’s branch structure and the experience of climbing up and inhabiting a treehouse:
“The building’s visible mass timber columns and beams emphasize the branching structure — you can see the V-shaped columns extending out and the diagonals of the cross-bracing reach to the roof, becoming finer the higher they rise,” said Jeanne Gang, a past graduate of Harvard. The resulting spaces on the upper levels “feel almost suspended within the surrounding tree canopy, like being in a treehouse — an exceptional destination.”
According to Ms Gang, the new treehouse is enhanced “with natural daylight, great views, and a balcony where you can step outside and look out over the landscape and the campus.” Ms Gang explained that wood is a core component of the building’s aesthetic and sustainability approach, with wooden columns and beams as part of an open interior showcasing the building’s sustainable design. “Visitors will be able to see and feel it — and know they are in a timber building.”
The push to use mass timber is part of Harvard’s commitment to “eliminate or reduce reliance on fossil-fuel energy systems, as part of its long-term aim to become fossil-fuel free by 2050.”
- For more information about Harvard’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
