Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) is moving forward with the planning and design of significant changes and additions to its campus to enhance its mission. These will create new spaces for teaching and learning, upgrade the central courtyard as a campus amenity, and improve campus cohesion and circulation with greater pedestrian connections to Harvard Square and the Charles River.
The proposed project will result in the addition of 91,000 sq. ft. (8,454 sq m) of space that will include six new classrooms, a new kitchen and dining facility, offices and meeting spaces, a new student lounge and study space, more collaboration and active learning spaces as well as a redesigned central courtyard. The project will also address key physical shortcomings in the existing HKS campus, including conflicts in vehicular and pedestrian circulation and compromised off-street loading facilities.
The project includes infill construction at the perimeter of the campus, maintaining the open landscaped courtyard at its center. New construction will connect the Kennedy School's four existing buildings with three additions serving as links. As part of the project, the existing central courtyard will be raised to generally align with the grade level of adjacent streets at key pedestrian access points (at Eliot Street beneath the proposed Gateway Building and on the west side at the JFK Park pedestrian connector). The raised courtyard will produce a more functional central campus green space while creating a new lower level that contains a below-grade loading facility, additional program space and storm water retention tanks.
Subject to regulatory and permit approvals, construction, beginning with site preparation, is tentatively scheduled to begin in April. The project is expected to be complete in late 2017 with an official opening expected in early 2018.
