Steven Holl Architects has been selected as the winner of an invited competition to design the Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) located in Princeton, New Jersey. The new Rubenstein Commons will be situated at the center of the campus and serve as a new forum for scholars to interact and share ideas. The IAS, which was home to where Albert Einstein worked for 22 years until his death in 1955, received the project funding from David Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the Carlyle Group.
Founded in 1930 by Louis Bamberger and his sister, Caroline Bamberger Fuld, and established by Abraham Flexner, the Institute for Advanced Study is one of the world’s leading institutions for research in the sciences and humanities. Holl’s new addition to the campus is situated along a major pedestrian route and will provide a multitude of social and meeting spaces for collaboration. The building will also display images which will “tell the story of the Institute’s heritage, extraordinary scholarly community, as well as current and future efforts.”
Steven Holl commented on the selection, stating: "It is an honor to work on this inspiring campus and within the Institute’s rich academic history. We hope the new generation of scholars will enjoy the Rubenstein Commons as it brings the community together with inviting spaces. We look forward to the collaboration and realization of this important piece of architecture.”
“We are incredibly pleased to be working with Steven Holl Architects on this exciting project,” stated Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study and Leon Levy Professor. “The Rubenstein Commons will provide a greatly needed space for enhanced social engagement and academic collaboration, and Steven and his team will bring a rich and varied level of experience to help us achieve these goals.”
The new building on the IAS campus will be the second building designed by Steven Holl Architects in Princeton, NJ. The other project, the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, is currently under construction.
