The Enterprise Research Campus, Part Two

Tishman Speyer signals readiness to pursue approval for second phase of commercial development.  

ERC construction site in March 2024

ERC phase A construction in March 2024. The regulatory approval process for phase B will begin soon.  | PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM HARRISON

Tishman Speyer, the development partner that is building an Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) in Allston on property leased from Harvard, took the first step toward construction of the second phase (phase B) of that project on April 16. With the submission of a letter of intent to the Boston Planning and Development Agency, the firm signaled that it would soon initiate the regulatory approval process for an additional 720,000 square feet of laboratory/research and development and office space, and approximately 320,000 square feet of residential housing (including affordable units) with a mixture of ground floor retail and community uses. The second phase is proposed on 4.8 acres of University-owned land at 100 Western Avenue, across from Harvard Business School. Tishman Speyer first previewed its plans for this second phase of development in 2021.

 

ERC phase B
The ERC as envisioned when the first 14 acres are fully built. | PREPARED BY HENNING LARSEN, STUDIO GANG, UTILE AND SCRAPE

A groundbreaking to celebrate the first phase (phase A, now well underway), which includes 900,000 square feet of commercial development, including lab space for life sciences companies, 343 rental apartments (a quarter of them affordable), a 246-room hotel, street-level shops and restaurants, and more than 2 acres of public outdoor space took place on November 1, 2023.

Read more articles by Jonathan Shaw

You might also like

Graduate Student Union Schedules Strike

The work stoppage will begin October 27, unless a final bargaining session next week yields an agreement.

Harvard Graduate Student Union Authorizes Another Strike

The University warns this walkout may not be protected by labor law, an assertion the union disputes.

FAS Readies for Administrative Transition

Faculty leaders say layoffs will yield $20 million in annual savings.

Most popular

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

Harvard Stabilizes Finances With Strong Endowment Returns, Philanthropy

Small operating surplus is dwarfed by reduced federal research support and endowment tax liabilities.

Explore More From Current Issue

A man with a long beard and formal attire stands next to a chalkboard with an equation.

Two tales of University greats—and an encounter with a Tiger

Illustration of a phone, book, hourglass, weights, and a hand reaching for a device on a blue background.

Your thoughts on how to regulate the platforms—and stop using them so much

Illuminated hanging sculptures resembling organic forms, casting warm light in a dim space.

Artists Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien turn a colonial symbol from Cambodia inside out.