Shawmut Reaches Topping Off Milestone for the New Home of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University

Shawmut along with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, Harvard Capital Projects, Haworth Tompkins, ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, and Charcoalblue, marked a major construction milestone with the ceremonial topping off of the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance.

Located at 175 North Harvard Street in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, the new home for the A.R.T. was designed to foster groundbreaking performance, public gathering, teaching, and international research. The Goel Center for Creativity & Performance is designed by Haworth Tompkins (architect and design lead) and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge (architect of record), in collaboration with theater and acoustic consultant Charcoalblue. Shawmut serves as the project’s construction manager, also leading work on 100 South Campus Drive, the adjacent mixed-use residential development that will add 276 sustainable residential units and vibrant public spaces. Together, these projects are central to Harvard’s ongoing transformation of its Allston campus into a dynamic, connected hub for living, learning, and the arts.

“Reaching the topping off milestone on the new home of the American Repertory Theater is an incredible moment for everyone involved in bringing this visionary project to life,” said Kevin Sullivan, executive vice president of Shawmut’s New England region. “This structure represents both a remarkable technical achievement and a new benchmark for sustainable, low-carbon construction. Raising the final piece of the mass timber structure not only marks the next chapter in the A.R.T.’s story, but also stands as a symbol of innovation, collaboration, and community impact that will define this building for decades to come.”

Conceived through core principles of openness, artistic flexibility, collaboration, sustainability, and regenerative design, the Goel Center will provide interconnected, adaptable, multi-use spaces that support creativity and embrace future change. It will include two flexible performance venues—one seating 700 where large-scale productions will be produced, and a versatile and intimate 300-seat black box—as well as light-filled rehearsal studios and teaching spaces, a spacious public lobby, a modest café, and an outdoor performance yard to host ticketed and free programming. The building will also include dressing rooms, technical shops, and administrative offices.

A blend of peer review and scientific contributions from across Harvard University informed a rigorous design process. Members of The Harvard Healthy Buildings Academy, the Harvard Office for Sustainability, the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Health, the Arnold Arboretum, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design each contributed to the project.

The center advances Harvard’s ambitious sustainability priorities and is designed with a blend of environmental and social strategies to minimize embodied and operational carbon, maximize wellbeing, boost biodiversity, and enhance resiliency. This holistic approach to sustainable and regenerative design sets up the Goel Center to achieve Living Building Challenge Core accreditation from the International Living Future Institute, recognizing that it gives more to its environment than it takes.

A key driver of this commitment is the use of low-carbon, responsibly sourced materials. The building is constructed with laminate mass timber, reclaimed brick, and cedar cladding to minimize its lifetime carbon budget. More than 2,000 individual mass timber components have been installed, including columns, beams, floors, walls, stairways, and elevator shafts. Among the highlights are 15 mega trusses—each 70 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighing nearly 30,000 pounds—delivered as single pieces from Canada. The structure also includes large columns weighing more than 10,000 pounds each.

The building’s chilled water, hot water, and electric utilities will be supplied by Harvard’s new lower-carbon District Energy Facility. Additional clean energy will be generated by rooftop solar panels, while natural ventilation will reduce energy use and enhance occupant comfort. A green roof and extensive plantings will aid stormwater attenuation, increase biodiversity, and promote occupant wellbeing.

“We’re celebrating not just the placement of the final piece of mass timber but also the 50% point of construction,” said Susan Malaab, senior project manager with Harvard Capital Projects. “The planning for the A.R.T. performance center began in 2018 with workshops that prioritized the goals of the project. Flexibility, public gathering, accessibility and a model of sustainability would shape the design. The design and construction team formed a partnership to reach those goals while maintaining the scope and budgetary requirements. The construction of the building will support the incremental expansion of the innovation ecosystem for the arts in Allston.”

“I am filled with deep gratitude for the extraordinary dedication, creativity, and collaboration that have brought us to this milestone. Each project partner and advisor has embraced A.R.T.’s commitment to regenerative design, going beyond sustainability to create a space that actively gives back to our community and environment. It’s so inspiring to see our vision literally take shape with last week’s installation of the final piece of mass timber. The Goel Center for Creativity & Performance will be more than A.R.T.’s new home. It will stand as a thriving example of how performance spaces can nurture both people and the planet for generations to come,” said Diane Paulus, Terrie and Bradley Bloom artistic director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.

The A.R.T.’s new home has been conceived and will be programmed to center community. Construction of the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance will continue into 2026, and A.R.T. plans to welcome audiences in early 2027.