Harvard Enterprise Research Campus | 100 Western Avenue | Allston

New renderings I think:

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(https://archinect.com/news/article/150393879/mvrdv-sets-its-feet-in-boston-with-two-tower-residential-block-design-near-harvard-university)

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(https://www.instagram.com/p/CzHhgeyv9mR/?img_index=1)

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(https://www.instagram.com/p/CzHejxlJ_M2/?img_index=4)
 
I'm not loving the shipping container look, but then I hate everything about this project aesthetically except for the conference center.

It's a perfect complement to Harvard State Penitentiary across the street.
 
"Where everyone is welcome."

I'm sorry, but this is like "Idiocracy" in implementation mode.

Why is the defining idea of Harvard's engineering and enterprise campus the notion that "everyone is welcome."

In fact, that's about the LEAST relevant of any platitude those fools could have come up with.

This will in fact be - and OUGHT to be - a hyper-exclusive campus for some of the world's most-credentialed (NOT the same as most successful, or smartest, mind you) engineers and entrepreneurs.

"Welcomeness" has little to nothing to do with it - and, frankly, that is fine. This isn't the Sunshine Hotel on the Bowery - nor should it be.

What a bunch of utter fools and cowards that they can't even distill or communicate the value proposition of building a few buildings, on currently wasted land, for some of the most-credentialed individuals in the world to come together to further their engineering and/or business skills.

Talk about excellence, the future of humanity, or (God forbid) economic growth. "Welcomeness" is as relevant as "pets are allowed in" here.

This is why Harvard deserves to fail. (//End rant//)
 
Charlie_mta said:
Interesting how Harvard's recent buildings pale in comparison architecturally to MIT's. I guess the MIT nerds get it right.
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I really dont like MIT or Harvard recent architecture, but at least MIT has a theme, although it seems to be evil alian invasion or something, but Harvards new stuff is just like a suburban office park menagerie of random gimmicks. MIT's feels more urban, although maybe they just had no choice on that because of the existing street grid and space constraints.
 
Hydrobus said:
I really dont like MIT or Harvard recent architecture, but at least MIT has a theme, although it seems to be evil alian invasion or something, but Harvards new stuff is just like a suburban office park menagerie of random gimmicks. MIT's feels more urban, although maybe they just had no choice on that because of the existing street grid and space constraints.
Click to expand...
Yes, MIT has the big advantage of a classic, dense old factory area to work with. They've done an excellent job of preserving the density and street wall, and carrying forth a theme of science, almost like you say, a sci-fi theme, which IMO complements and fits perfectly the context of the old factories.
"The atomic factories stand mute in the night" is a line from a poem I wrote when I was a teenager about the old Kendall Square area, one of my favorite places, and MIT with their developments has made it even better.
On the other hand, Harvard has thrown up some blandly mediocre structures in this Allston development, which is a shame because in the 1960s Harvard had put up some really exciting and cutting edge buildings.
 
The "Where Everybody is Welcome" signage relates to the hotel.

There are institutions that own and operate hotels on their campus, e.g., the Hanover Inn (owned by Dartmouth), or the now-renamed Lord Jeffery Inn (owned by Amherst College, and renamed after its namesake Lord Jeffery Amherst, a British officer more recently accused of genocide for having deliberately given smallpox-infected blankets to the Indians), or Georgetown University's Hotel and Conference Center, located smack-dab in the heart of the campus.

I suspect many/most people might view this hotel in Allston as largely being reserved for patrons who are attending a short-term Executive Education program offered by Harvard Business School, for example,
https://www.exed.hbs.edu/topic-focused-programs/board-governance

or a conference at the adjacent Rubenstein Treehouse Conference Center, and where the hoi polloi would not be particularly welcome.
 
stellarfun said:
......where the hoi polloi would not be particularly welcome.
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The "Where Everybody is Welcome" sign at this development reminds me a bit of the "All Are Welcome Here" signs posted in front yards of multi-million $ homes. The sentiment is right, but the economic disconnect is pretty stark.
 
They got carried away with their signage. The Treehouse: Where Connections Are Made. (Ma Bell could have put that on its buildings housing the old switchboards.) Where You Can Call Home, for the rental residences.

And by They, I am referring to the developer / buildings owner which is Tishman Speyer, nor Harvard. I no longer see Stockyard Rd., or the similar name that was on the original project map. Need to be less reverential, plain vanilla about names, IMO. Abattoir Way has a nice ring to it.

http://www.bahistory.org/CattleIndustry.html
 
As of 12/31/23
 

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Charlie_mta said:
Yes, MIT has the big advantage of a classic, dense old factory area to work with. They've done an excellent job of preserving the density and street wall, and carrying forth a theme of science, almost like you say, a sci-fi theme, which IMO complements and fits perfectly the context of the old factories.
"The atomic factories stand mute in the night" is a line from a poem I wrote when I was a teenager about the old Kendall Square area, one of my favorite places, and MIT with their developments has made it even better.
On the other hand, Harvard has thrown up some blandly mediocre structures in this Allston development, which is a shame because in the 1960s Harvard had put up some really exciting and cutting edge buildings.
Click to expand...
The developer also brought in a star studded cast of designers and the buildings are resoundingly meh. And we can't blame the BPDA because they didn't change at all after they were filed.
 
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