Steven Holl’s Design, won the competition for Institute for Advanced Study

Sited along a major pedestrian route near the center of the academic campus, the Rubenstein Commons will support community and academic life on the IAS campus, promoting communication and collaboration through a variety of social and meeting spaces. Providing a communal and flexible gathering place for the Institute’s research community, the building will offer a space for the display of images and materials that tell the story of the Institute’s heritage, extraordinary scholarly community, as well as current and future efforts.

"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," said Steven Holl.

Steven Holl’s firm was one of four invited to submit proposals. The others included MOS Architects, OMA, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.

The Institute has received funding for the building from businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group. At approximately 20,000 sf, the new Rubenstein Commons will be at the center of the IAS campus, providing a new forum that encourages interactions among the Institute’s diverse community of scholars. This is Steven Holl Architects’ second building in Princeton, NJ, with the Lewis Center for the Performing Arts at Princeton University, scheduled to open in 2017.

“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.”