Harvard School of Public Health - Boston, MA
Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building

This eight-story,105,000-square-foot building houses biomedical research laboratories for AIDS research. The project is located on Huntington Avenue – a major urban axis. The site – a slender, triangular lot – was constrained by the diagonal intersection of the avenue and adjacent building and the architecture of the new building accommodates the geometry of both. The building also needed to project a contemporary image. The solution reinforces the street edge and provides a vibrant new entry portal that acts as a forecourt to the varied research activities behind the street wall. Horizontal massing and a palette of warm materials harmonize the new with the old. The granite base, stainless steel railings and accents, and buff-colored precast panels reflect the urban context.