The Allston Yard proposal rethinks Jefferson’s plan for the University of Virginia — a series of independent faculty buildings linked by a shared corridor. The new proposal expands on the idea of a shared corridor and turns it into a grand salon for interdisciplinary collaboration. Borrowing from the ancient Greek “peripatetic” tradition of walking while lecturing, the grand salon at its complete stage will allow users to walk in an uninterrupted loop from one faculty to the other.
Masterplan Aerial View
Scale Comparison
Central to the proposed master plan, the new Allston Yard borrows from the success and tradition of the existing Cambridge Harvard Yard but proposes a larger open space—large enough to hold a concert or be the testing ground for new technology. With a more generous size of 600ft x 340ft, the new Allston Yard permits the construction of small pavilions where students may eat, relax, experiment, and exchange ideas.
The length and scale of the new loop allows for different functions to occur within the space while still enabling the project to be built in phases. This grand salon will not only become a space for collaboration but a gallery for the display and presentation of research related to the distinct faculties. The loop will become a space for discovery not unlike walking the halls of a museum.
Multidisciplinary corridor as connector for different faculties
Program is arranged to engage and activate the public corridor.
At street level, interconnected faculty buildings generate open spaces for collaboration. Bridging over existing streets, the interior space extends beyond the main yard building with the possibility of connecting to other neighboring buildings.
Street condition accommodating unique facade treatments corresponding to the distinct faculties.
