Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground

The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground (HTC) was founded to preserve and share the legacy of Dr. Howard Thurman. Dr. Thurman was a man of religion, a world-renowned educator, a philosopher and poet, and Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University from 1953 to 1965. Dr. Thurman spent his life working to break barriers of divisiveness that separate people based on race, culture, religion, ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity. The HTC preserves Dr. Thurman’s legacy of breaking barriers of divisiveness by inspiring Boston University’s students to discover their shared humanity through programs and events designed to expand their intellectual, social, and spiritual growth, and to foster their development of meaningful and authentic friendships. 

The 24,000 sf HTC project connected two levels within an existing 220,000 sf, fully occupied historic building. A majority of the HTC area is within an ornate mid-20th century space that originally served as a Cadillac vehicle showroom. In addition to providing engineering services for the HTC, RFS also provided engineering services in support of renovation of 23,000 sf for Information Services and Technology (IS&T) Communications and Collaborations space, as well as building-wide infrastructure and life safety systems upgrades.

Recognition
LEED CI Gold Certified

Services
Mechanical
Electrical
Plumbing
Fire Protection
Technology

Metrics
47,000 sf

Architect
NBBJ