American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University
The David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance will serve as a vibrant hub for the arts and a pioneering model of sustainable construction.
Project Overview
The New Home of the A.R.T.
- Located at 175 North Harvard Street in Boston’s Allston neighborhood, the new home for the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is designed to foster groundbreaking performance, public gathering, teaching, and international research.
- Guided by principles of openness, artistic flexibility, collaboration, sustainability, and regenerative design, the Goel Center will feature interconnected, adaptable spaces that support creativity and embrace future change.
- The building will include two flexible performance venues—a 700-seat West Stage for large-scale productions and a 300-seat East Stage for versatile configurations—along with light-filled rehearsal studios and teaching spaces, a spacious public lobby, a café, and an outdoor performance yard for both ticketed and free programming.
- Situated alongside another Shawmut project—100 South Campus Drive—the Goel Center is part of Harvard’s broader transformation of its Allston campus into a dynamic, connected hub for living, learning, and the arts. The adjacent project will add 276 sustainable residential units and vibrant public spaces, designed to meet Passive House and Living Building Challenge certifications.
A Model of Sustainability
Holistic, regenerative design
- The Goel Center advances Harvard’s ambitious climate goals through a blend of environmental and social strategies that minimize embodied and operational carbon, promote health and wellbeing, and strengthen resilience.
- Designed to achieve Living Building Challenge Core Certification from the International Living Future Institute, the center embodies a regenerative design philosophy—giving more to its environment than it takes.
- Low-carbon, responsibly sourced materials—including laminated mass timber, reclaimed brick, and cedar cladding—significantly reduce the building’s lifetime carbon impact.
- The Goel Center’s chilled water, hot water, and electrical systems will connect to Harvard’s new lower-carbon District Energy Facility, with additional clean energy supplied by rooftop solar panels.
- Natural ventilation and a green roof system will further enhance occupant comfort, support biodiversity, and aid stormwater management—creating a building that breathes with its surroundings.
Virtual Tour
Construction continues into 2026, with the A.R.T. set to open its doors in early 2027. In the meantime, explore progress through video updates, renderings, and behind-the-scenes views of the Goel Center taking shape.
Mass timber installation progress
Mass timber mega trusses
Fly through of the Goel Center
Street view of the Goel Center
Interior of the Goel Center
Construction progress on the interior of the Goel Center
Lobby of the Goel Center
Construction progress on the interior of the Goel Center
Outdoor performance yard at the Goel Center
Construction progress on the Goel Center
Studio space inside the Goel Center
Mass timber installation on the Goel Center
“We are honored to be leading construction on the new home of the A.R.T. This project exemplifies our deep commitment to the community. By prioritizing environmental sustainability and adaptable design, we are building a vibrant hub for creativity and connection that will serve the local area for years to come. Our shared goal of minimizing embodied and operational carbon, maximizing wellbeing, and enhancing resiliency ensures that this center will not only be a beacon for the arts but also a pioneering global model for sustainable construction.” – Kevin Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Shawmut’s New England Region.
