Leaders of Harvard Business School said the new building, located next to the Weeks footbridge across from the university’s main campus, will contain 180 dorm-style rooms and classrooms for its executive education program. “This project will bring executives from around the globe to Boston to advance their education and strengthen their organizations,’’ said Nitin Nohria, dean of the business school.
The building, designed by William Rawn Associates Architects Inc., will feature floor-to-ceiling glass on its first two stories and stone on the upper levels; it will have a large opening at its center to preserve views to the interior of the campus and a large wing extending behind the building. The project will also result in construction of two large exterior courtyards, one along the river and another on the opposite side of the building. New walking paths will be constructed across the campus and spaces closest to the river will feature a cleaner landscaping design.
It is Harvard’s second project approved by the BRA in the last six months. The university also got the go-ahead for the Harvard Innovation Lab, a sort of think tank to spur collaboration and entrepreneurship across the university’s academic programs. That facility, to be located in the former WGBH headquarters at 125 Western Ave., is scheduled to open in November.
After postponing work during the economic downturn, Harvard signaled recently that it is poised to resume development of its long-awaited science campus in Allston. A recent report from a university task force sketched out a vision similar to the mix of academia and industry that has proved successful in Cambridge’s Kendall Square.
The largest section of the complex would be a 36-acre, privately developed “enterprise research campus’’ with up to 12 buildings for pharmaceutical, biotech, and venture capital firms. It would also include a health and life science center on Western Avenue with up to 700,000 square feet of space for labs and academic researchers drawn from other Harvard locations in Cambridge and Boston’s Longwood Medical Area.
For the enterprise research campus, Harvard has said it will work with private developers to create a cluster of buildings that could be leased by firms that spin off from its research facility or businesses that want to be near other life science companies. The site is also near a Genzyme drug manufacturing facility, which sits on Harvard-owned land that it leases. Harvard says it is reviewing plans for the expansion and will release more details about the components and schedule.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
