Harvard University is building a new conference centre, to open in autumn 2025. The campus-wide conference facility – The David Rubenstein Treehouse – will be constructed almost entirely from wood, designed to give visitors the impression of being “up in the canopy”. It uses a rare type of frame, made from “engineered wood”, and will feature a wraparound balcony on the upper levels and an abundance of natural light. The new building has what’s known as a “mass timber” structure – a relatively new construction method. …the building will use “engineered wood”, which involves gluing wood fibres together with adhesives. The resulting material is about the same strength of concrete or steel, but much lighter. This composite wood will form the actual frame of the building. …The Treehouse was designed by Jeanne Gang’s architecture studio, Studio Gang – known for its experimentation with materials and general focus on sustainability. The centre is being constructed by Consigli and Smoot.