About the David Rubenstein Treehouse
About
The David Rubenstein Treehouse is Harvard's first university-wide conference center. Our mission is to be a welcoming convener of diverse people and ideas, enhanced by the experience of elevated events, to support Harvard's mission of teaching and research.
Supporting Innovation, Collaboration, and Entrepreneurship
Located at 20 Western Avenue, at the forefront of Harvard's burgeoning Enterprise Research Campus, directly across from Harvard Business School and a short distance from the new Science and Engineering Complex, the David Rubenstein Treehouse will offer spectacular meeting, conference, and special event space for the Harvard community and beyond.
Flexible & Functional
The Rubenstein Treehouse, designed by Studio Gang, is part of the first phase of Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus. The facility will offer flexible spaces in addition to new neighborhood amenities for meeting and dining. The design aims to establish a destination that energizes conversation, collaboration, and the wider neighborhood. Design features include:
- An expressive mass timber structure, one of Harvard’s first, modeling a greener way of building.
- A double-height lobby, extending outdoors through two covered porches that can be used year round.
- A central stair, lit by skylights, evoking the wonder and excitement of climbing up into a treehouse.
- Canopy Hall, the main conference space, offering sweeping views of the surrounding landscape as well as an open-air terrace.
Sustainable Design
Mass timber design offers a sustainable alternative to traditional building materials, significantly reducing embodied carbon. In addition:
- The building will be all-electric and include a solar PV system estimated to generate 78 MWh of renewable electricity per year.
- A recycled glass product has been used in structural and non-structural concrete as an innovation to find more sustainable solutions for concrete.
- Rainwater will be harvested from the roof and bioswales.
- The project is striving to achieve Living Building Challenge Core certification.
Join the Rubenstein Treehouse Team
The Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University is managed by Harvard University through Common Spaces and Harvard Real Estate with catering, event management and audio visual services provided by Compass Group. Check back here for job opportunities at the Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University in the upcoming months.