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.
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.
Founded in 1987, KPMB is an internationally recognized Canadian architectural practice dedicated to designing built environments that catalyze positive change. For over three decades, the firm has evolved from a "collaborative adventure" into a multifaceted practice of over 130 professionals, completing more than 31 million square feet of projects across sectors, including education, healthcare, arts and culture, and sustainable development.
KPMB is guided by four core values—evolution, collaboration, community, and design—which anchor its commitment to solving the complex challenges of the 21st century. The firm’s work is characterized by a balance of aesthetic excellence and rigorous standards for sustainability and social equity. This dedication has earned KPMB over 400 awards, including 18 Governor General’s Medals, Canada’s highest architectural honour.
In 2021, the firm marked a significant milestone in its evolution by expanding its leadership team, naming seven new partners to join founders Bruce Kuwabara, Marianne McKenna, and Shirley Blumberg. Supported by KPMB Lab, an internal incubator for research and innovation, the firm continues to push the boundaries of regenerative design, digital integration, and climate-responsive architecture to improve the lives of the communities it serves.
Great design bridges past and future, creating spaces that evolve with us.
Our built environment is in a constant state of beautiful evolution. At Forma, we believe that architecture and design are deeply personal—they dictate how we live, grow, and connect across every stage of life. As a community of designers, architects, engineers, trades, builders, suppliers, students and creators, we are constantly tasked with bridging what was with what will be. Whether we are exploring innovative new builds, thoughtful restorations, or the visionary people shaping our industry, our mission remains the same: to look beyond the aesthetics. We invite you to explore the human stories woven into the brick, light, and landscapes of the spaces we inhabit. Thank you to everyone who reads, contributes, and shares in this vision.
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