Boston Redevelopment Authority Approves Tata Hall Construction
Tata Hall
Rendering: Dongik Lee/ William Rawn ArchitectsBOSTON—Harvard Business School (HBS) has received approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) for its plans for Tata Hall, a new Executive Education classroom and residential building to be constructed on the HBS campus in Boston. The BRA Board of Directors met today to give its final approval on the new building, which will be located at the northeast corner of the HBS campus. Tata Hall will serve business leaders enrolled in HBS's broad portfolio of Executive Education programs, which are a key component in advancing the School's academic mission. "Tata Hall will enable Harvard Business School to extend and enhance our Executive Education programs, serving as a magnet for global leaders seeking professional development in today's evolving business arena," said Dean Nitin Nohria. "This project will bring executives from around the globe to Boston to advance their education and strengthen their organizations, furthering the HBS mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world." "Harvard's $100 million dollar private investment in Boston will create construction jobs that are needed now, and the future executives who study at Harvard Business School and enter the international workforce will be ambassadors of our truly world-class city," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Tata Hall will be constructed on a site slated for future development several years ago by HBS. The arc-shaped building will feature living spaces, classrooms, and common spaces to help build community among program participants. William Rawn Associates is the architectural firm and the landscape architects are Reed Hilderbrand Associates. The new Executive Education building was made possible by a gift from Tata Trusts and Companies, a philanthropic wing of India's Tata Group. It is headed by Ratan Tata, a 1975 graduate of HBS's Advanced Management Program for senior executives. HBS estimates the project will generate more than 200 new construction jobs over the two-year building phase. The project also includes the creation of new, publicly accessible pathways and open space, including a pedestrian connection between the project site and the apartments at One Western Avenue. Tata Hall is the second Harvard project approved by the BRA Board in the past six months. In October 2010, Dean Nohria announced plans for Tata Hall and the Harvard Innovation Lab, the first-of-its-kind innovation center in Allston. Envisioned as a vital resource to help stimulate collaborative creativity and entrepreneurship across the University's schools, at HBS, and throughout the Boston community, the Innovation Lab is located in the former WGBH office building at 125 Western Avenue. Construction on this project is near completion, and an opening celebration is scheduled for November 2011. Following the BRA approval, HBS aims to break ground in December 2011, with a target completion date of December 2013. |
Zeenat Potia
617-495-6156
zpotia+hbs.edu
About Harvard Business School
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 250 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and PhD degrees, as well as more than 175 Executive Education programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital learning platform. For more than a century, faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching, to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. The School and its curriculum attract the boldest thinkers and the most collaborative learners who will go on to shape the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.