Development on Western Ave in Lower Allston is getting dense these days after decades of diners and parking lots characterizing this stretch of the city. Along with a bunch of institutional and commercial lab space, new construction in the area includes hundreds of residential units, some better-than-average retail and restaurant space, and a new home for the storied American Repertory Theater.
The new building’s design is frustratingly square (literally and figuratively), but it’s one of at least two new timber-frame construction projects that Harvard has unleashed on the neighborhood. While timber construction may not seem cutting-edge, “laminated lumber” is being pushed as a salve to steel-frame construction, which is cost- and resource-intensive. Timber won’t be replacing steel in many heavy-duty designs on the short term, but the new theater and the upcoming Treehouse further down Western Ave are purpose-built examples that are–at least on paper–more eco-conscious.
Whether you view these new buildings as game-changing or greenwashing, they are fun to watch go up! Here’s some scenes from a stroll in late July 2025.
Paul's House Diary 
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