Harvard Files Plans for New Business School Buildings

The University filed plans for Harvard Business School’s new Klarman Hall and G2 Pavilion development projects with the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Friday.

The two buildings, according to the plans, will replace the existing Burden Hall building with around 105,100 square feet of new construction, approximately 35,000 square feet smaller than the project approved in the University’s 2013 Institutional Master Plan.

Construction on Klarman Hall is expected to finish by August of 2018, and the three-story facility will house a 1,000-seat auditorium—enough to accommodate an entire MBA class. Klarman will also feature a more “welcoming” design, in contrast to Burden Hall, which the documents describe as “a windowless building lacking a positive relationship with campus open spaces, pedestrian paths, and buildings.” The design of the G2 Pavilion, which will be connected to Klarman Hall, is still under development.

According to the filed plans, the “Project will be clad in brick, with a level of pattern and detail consistent with many of the core campus buildings.” The architectural style of the building will emphasize the Business School’s tradition of Georgian architecture; large, open windows will underscore the “public character of the Project.”

William Rawn Associates are the project architects, and Walsh Brothers Construction is charged with managing the project.

The Harvard-Allston Task Force was briefed on the preliminary designs of the two buildings three weeks ago.

—Staff writer Ignacio Sabate can be reached at ignacio.sabate@thecrimson.com . Follow him on Twitter @TheIggySabate.

—Staff writer Luca F. Schroeder can be reached at luca.schroeder@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @lucaschroeder.