Meet the Duan Family Center: Boston University’s Fossil-Fuel-Free Masterpiece
Apr 20
4 min read
Welcome to the future of the university campus. Towering 19 stories over the banks of the Charles River, the Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University is impossible to miss. With its bold, cantilevered blocks that look like a giant stack of books, it has completely transformed the Boston skyline.
But this building isn't just about striking looks. Opened in 2022 and renamed in December 2024, the 345,000-square-foot tower is a cutting-edge hub for mathematics, computer science, and data science. It brings 3,000 students, faculty, and staff together under one very green, highly innovative roof.
Here is what makes the Duan Family Center a true architectural and educational game-changer.
Project Credits & Details
Location: 665 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA
Client: Boston University
Architect: KPMB Architects
Design Team Lead: Bruce Kuwabara, Marianne McKenna, Luigi LaRocca, Paulo Rocha
Landscape Architect: Richard Burck Associates Inc.
General Contractor: Suffolk Construction
Size: 345,000 square feet (19 stories)
Completion: December 2022 (Renamed Duan Family Center in 2024)
Sustainability: LEED Platinum Certified, 100% Fossil-Fuel Free
A Vertical Campus Built for Connection
Forget isolated departments and closed-off corner offices. The Duan Family Center is designed as a "vertical campus" that practically forces great ideas to collide.
The Academic Neighbourhoods: The layout is highly intentional. The lower floors are dedicated to math and statistics, the middle floors house computer science, and the top floors feature open, interdisciplinary spaces and public venues.
The "Irresistible" Staircase: A massive, ribbon-like staircase weaves through 13 floors of the building. It encourages people to walk, talk, and skip the elevator, sparking serendipitous encounters between different departments.
Spaces to Create: With 12 classrooms, two computer labs, an incubator hub, and a ground-floor café, there is a space for every type of work. Whiteboard walls line the core of the building, inviting students to sketch out their next big idea on the fly.
Views and Light: Triple-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light and offer expansive, inspiring views of the Charles River, reminding students to stay connected to the natural world even as they work in the digital realm.
Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography
Boston’s Greenest Giant
The Duan Family Center isn't just eco-friendly; it is a pioneer. As Boston’s largest sustainable and operationally fossil-fuel-free building, it achieved the highly coveted LEED Platinum certification. It proves that massive urban architecture can be fiercely green.
Zero Fossil Fuels: You won’t find a single gas line connected to this building. Even the on-site dining uses electricity for cooking.
Geothermal Power: The building is heated and cooled by a massive closed-loop geothermal system, featuring 31 boreholes drilled 1,500 feet into the earth.
Smart Shading: The distinctive diagonal louvres and sawtooth mirrored facades aren't just for show. They minimize solar heat gain in the summer and keep the building warm in the winter, reducing energy consumption by an impressive 30%.
Climate Resilient: Because it sits close to the river, the building is elevated five feet above Boston’s sea-level rise guidelines to protect against future flooding and storm surges.
Bringing Nature Up: Eight outdoor terraces with native plants help reduce the urban heat island effect, retain rainwater, and give students a breath of fresh air.
Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography Image courtesy of: Tom Arban Photography
Real-World Impact
Since opening its doors, the Center has done exactly what it was built to do: advance research, build community, and drive innovation.
It has become a dynamic crossroads for the entire university, intersecting with arts, business, law, and engineering. The facility has already helped attract $3 million in grants for data science initiatives and has hosted community-driven events such as the Civic Tech Hackathon, which uses data science to tackle major issues like climate change and social justice. Best of all, it's fostering a diverse new generation of tech leaders—women now make up 40% of matriculating students in BU's data science programs.
The Duan Family Center is more than just a place to go to class. It is a literal and symbolic crossroads that proves what happens when human-centred design, bold architecture, and a deep commitment to the planet all come together.
Awards
2025 FRAME Award
2025 Green GOOD DESIGN Award
2024 New England Architecture Award
2024 AIA Canada Design Award (Honourable Mention)
2024 Kyoto Global Design Award
2024 American Architecture Award
2024 BLT Built Design Award
2024 AN Best of Design Award (Editor’s Pick)
2024 Ontario Association of Architects Design Excellence Award
2024 ACEC Engineering Excellence Award
2024 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Award
2024 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Award of Excellence
2023 Harleston Parker People’s Choice Award
2023 Metropolis Planet Positive Awards (Honourable Mention)
2023 Interior Design, Best of Year Awards, Large Higher Education category
2023 INSIDE Festival
2023 World Architecture Festival (Shortlist, Completed Buildings: Higher Education and Research category)
2023 Canadian Interiors’ Best of Canada Award
2023 EBC EBEE Award
2020 Canadian Architect Award of Merit
2019 Architizer A+ Awards Jury Winner
