Where science breathes: Façade automation and smoke control at Harvard’s Science & Engineering Complex
At Harvard University’s Science & Engineering Complex in Allston, Boston, the façade does far more than define the building’s striking architectural identity. It filters sunlight, supports daylight, enables natural ventilation, and contributes to smoke control – all while helping create a healthier and more energy-efficient environment for learning, research, and collaboration. Designed by Behnisch Architekten, the Science & Engineering Complex extends across eight floor levels and consists of three main sections connected by two multi-storey glazed atria. The building brings together laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices, maker spaces, shared areas, and social spaces in one highly connected home for the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It is a building shaped for scientific progress – and designed with the same level of care and intelligence as the work taking place inside.
Visit a reference projectSolution
Natural ventilation , Smoke Ventilation
Location
Boston, USA
Sector
Education
Project Type
New build
A new landmark for research and collaboration
Located on Harvard’s expanding Allston campus, the Science & Engineering Complex was created to support interdisciplinary research, teaching, and exchange. The building’s architecture encourages movement and connection, with large atria acting as social and spatial links between the different academic environments.
From the outside, the complex is instantly recognisable. Its laboratory areas are wrapped in the world’s first hydroformed stainless-steel screen, designed to shield the interior from solar heat gain during warmer months while admitting beneficial sun during winter. The screen also reflects daylight towards the interior while maintaining views out from the building.
This makes the façade an active part of the building’s performance strategy. It is not simply a protective shell, but a carefully engineered layer that helps balance solar control, daylight, views, comfort, and energy efficiency.
Harvard’s ambition: a healthier, lower-energy laboratory building
The client, The President and Fellows of Harvard College, set a high bar for the project. Laboratory buildings are among the most demanding building types when it comes to ventilation, safety, energy use, and technical coordination. At Harvard, the ambition was to create advanced learning and research spaces while supporting a high degree of energy efficiency and occupant wellbeing. That ambition has been widely recognised. The Science & Engineering Complex achieved LEED Platinum certification and Living Building Challenge Petal certification for Materials, Beauty, and Equity, and Harvard describes the building as one of the healthiest and most energy-efficient laboratory buildings in the world. For the project team, this meant that every element of the building had to work harder. The façade, shading strategy, glazing, ventilation openings, and smoke control functions all had to contribute to a high-performing whole.
The need: fresh air, smoke control, and strong thermal performance
The glazed façades of the Science & Engineering Complex feature exterior shading and operable windows that support automated natural ventilation. To meet both the natural ventilation and emergency smoke control requirements, while also supporting strong winter thermal performance, the project team selected triple-glazed FIEGER louvre windows. In total, 52 FIEGER FLW 40 SmoTec vents were installed in the curtain walling in a coupled arrangement, forming 26 pairs. Each vent was equipped with 24V DC motorised actuators, connected to the Building Management System and interfaced with the building’s smoke detectors.
One façade opening, two essential functions
At Harvard’s Science & Engineering Complex, the FIEGER louvre windows support two important functions.
In daily operation, the vents support natural ventilation by enabling fresh outdoor air to enter the building when conditions allow. This helps reduce reliance on fully mechanical ventilation and strengthens the connection between the indoor environment and the natural movement of air outside.
In an emergency, the same façade-integrated openings support smoke control. Connected to the Building Management System and smoke detection strategy, the motorised vents can respond as part of the building’s safety concept, helping extract smoke and heat when fast, reliable action is essential.
This dual-purpose approach is central to the value of façade-integrated louvre technology. A single opening can support everyday comfort and emergency performance – without compromising the architectural expression of the façade.
Technical performance, quietly integrated
The louvre windows at the Science & Engineering Complex were designed to sit discreetly within the curtain walling while delivering several critical performance benefits. The vent framework was finished in wet lacquer Duraflon RAL Design 1402005 30 E to complement the surrounding façade. The specified glazing was Guardian SNX 60/28, with toughened heat-soaked outer glass, argon-filled cavities, float glass, and a low-E coating on the inner pane. The installation achieved typical overall U-values of 1.25 W/m²K. Combined with low air leakage to Class 4 under EN 12207, the vents contribute to the building’s energy-efficient envelope. Watertightness was also a key concern, and before installation in the United States, the vents were tested at Gartner’s in-house testing facility, confirming Class 8A performance in accordance with EN 12208:1999-11. The FLW 40 SmoTec vent is also tested to EN 12101-2 for natural smoke vents and to BS 6180:2011 for barrier loading, adding further reassurance in a large, multi-storey building. The result is a solution that is visible as part of the façade, yet quiet in its daily presence. It supports fresh air, fire safety, weather protection, thermal performance, and architectural integration – all from within the same façade element.
Fresh air, safety, and façade intelligence
The Science & Engineering Complex is a highly technical building, but its success is ultimately measured by the experience it creates for people. Its laboratories support advanced research. Its classrooms and maker spaces encourage learning by doing. Its atria and shared areas create places for conversation, movement, and collaboration. The façade plays an important part in that experience. By helping manage daylight, solar heat gain, views, ventilation, and smoke control, it supports an indoor environment where students, researchers, faculty, and visitors can feel comfortable, focused, and safe. For building owners, architects, engineers, and façade contractors, the project also illustrates the value of early, coordinated thinking. Natural ventilation and smoke control do not need to be treated as separate challenges or late-stage additions. With the right façade-integrated system, they can become part of the building’s architectural and technical DNA.
