HBS Gains Ok For New Exec Ed Building

Harvard Business School gained approval yesterday (Sept. 15) from the city of Boston to build a $100-million, seven-story building that will be used for a state-of-the-art housing for executive education participants.

The arch-shaped stone and glass building on Soldiers Field Road will overlook the Charles River and provide housing for the Business School’s Executive Education program, which the city’s redevelopment authority described as “a short term business program that attracts business talent from around the world.”

The proposed 150,000 square-foot Tata Hall was announced by the school last fall after the university received a $50 million gift to help fund the new building which will feature 180 dorm-style bedrooms. The donation from India’s Tata Group Construction is the largest gift from an international donor in the business school’s 103-year history.

The building is expected to be ready to open by late 2013. Work is set to begin in November. It will be the 34th separate building at Harvard Business School. The school already is like a university onto itself with its present 33 buildings on 40 acres of property along the Charles River. HBS has its own state-of-the-art fitness center, a massive library, a chapel, and several residence halls for students who want to stay on campus. Strategy guru Michael Porter and his Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness even has his own building on campus. There is no other business school that can even remotely match Harvard for its expansive classrooms and study halls.

“The $100 million state of the art project is an indication of Harvard’s commitment to its Boston campus,” the Boston Redevelopment Authority said in announcing its unanimous vote Thursday night to approve the university’s plans.

The dorm rooms will be clustered into study group suites with kitchen facilities, several small auditorium-style classrooms and a common meeting space “to help building community among program participants,” the city said.

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