Harvard Business School seeks to replace building it hates with new auditorium worthy of a world-class institution

Harvard is seeking BRA approval to tear down what it considers an inadequate auditorium on the Business School campus in Allston and replace it with a more elegant and larger structure able to "host global events and create a first-class learning environment."

The proposed Klarman Hall and G2 Pavilion would house a 1,000-seat auditorium and state-of-the-art "foyer, reception, meeting and service space to support world-class convening," all in a total of 105,000 square feet.

To make way for this, the current Burden Hall would - rather gleefully, it would appear - be demolished:

Burden's auditorium is too small for many of HBS's current gatherings, and the Hall's lack of foyer and meeting space, support facilities, and accessibility, limit HBS's ability to host global events and create a first-class learning environment. Burden Hall was not built as part of the McKim, Mead and White campus, and is a windowless building lacking a positive relationship with campus open spaces, pedestrian paths, and buildings. It is disconnected from other campus academic and student buildings, and does not contribute to a positive participant experience, or campus life. It constricts views and pedestrian connections between the HBS Central Green, the focus of the academic campus, and Kresge Way, an important pedestrian route.

Klarman Hall project notification form (25M PDF).