Harvard Business School
Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center for Executive Education

Creating a unified social hub

From small spaces for close, informal connection to a large dining area for the entire program, an emphasis on community interaction informed every detail of our design. An open forum at the heart of the building functions as a relaxed and welcoming central living room; its prominent gathering stair invites visitors to linger in its comfortable platform area. Lounges, project rooms, terraces, social spaces, and a large dining room all radiate from the forum, enriching learning by encouraging HBS’s diverse executive education community to informally convene.

A bridge between worlds

The Chao Center’s two main entrances provided a unique opportunity to connect distinct parts of the HBS campus by seamlessly contrasting traditional architecture with emerging modern design. The west entrance–which faces the historic campus–features a rotunda that celebrates the school’s neo-Georgian architectural heritage, while the building’s east-facing three-story glazed entrance presents a more forward-looking vision. The result is a space that reflects its legacy campus while conveying the openness, transparency, and engagement that define 21st century business.

A multi-faceted destination

The Chao Center is a modern, dynamic social hub that welcomes Executive Education students and the larger HBS community to network, collaborate, and innovate. Its rich mix of programs encourage connection and provide environments conducive to quiet, individual study, or campus-wide functions.

Dining for up to 500 executive education participants occurs on the second floor of the Center. The dining space can be divided into three rooms via wood-paneled overhead operable partitions, or opened to its full length for larger events. The Center includes loading, kitchen, bakery, and servery space to prepare and serve high-quality meal options for a variety of dietary requirements.

Ample space, minimal carbon footprint

A large energy footprint is typically unavoidable for a space with the mechanical and dining requirements of the Chao Center, but our team dug deep to meet HBS’s aggressive sustainability targets. A green roof, PV panels, stormwater recharge, variable ventilation systems, and permeable paving all help to combat heat island effects and reduce the building’s environmental footprint, while a whole-building blower door test ensured that the Chao Center’s envelope is one of the tightest in North America. The finished Center achieved LEED Gold certification and a 37-percent reduction in total building energy costs.