Modellus Novus redesigned significant portions of Harvard Business School’s Spangler Center as a space where real business takes place—a social, civic space where interchangeable public and private programs expand the school’s reach beyond its campus. In this selected proposal completed in collaboration with Compass Group, people come together when there is a sense of place; MN employed an open plan with clear zones for distinct uses that can transform throughout the day, creating a dynamic environment for meeting, learning, and dining. Acknowledging that deals are primarily done outside of the board room, food and gathering become business training tools, with a modernized food program and experience nurturing purposeful socializing.
Lower floors and perimeter walls are articulated in local granite, signature to Harvard’s campus, to create a stone basin separate from the rest of the building. Extending beyond the interiors, a new landscaped canopy operates as an indoor/outdoor pavilion and restaurant, creating a southern gateway to the local community. A permanent structure with a feeling of impermanence, the building makes use of the existing brick groundscape and is almost entirely transparent and reflective, in an effort to respect the existing edifice of Spangler, which surrounds it on three sides.
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