BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston University celebrated the opening of its new “Jenga building” on Comm Ave with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.
The zigzagging building that looks like a stack of computer servers will serve as BU’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences.
The 19-story building is the city’s most energy efficient. It is powered by wind and heated and cooled by geothermal pumps.
“It’s iconic in its architecture, but it also shows our commitment to the urban environment and to the sustainability of our planet,” BU President Robert Brown said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony, saying she hopes to replicate the building’s features in the future.
“That is so powerful, and we hope to take this example and replicate it across all of our anchor institutions and many spaces across our city,” she said.
BU’s Associate Vice President Denis Carlberg said the building serves as an example and will help other do the same thing.
“This demonstrates that one can build a fossil fuel-free building in a dense urban environment,” he said.
Although the ribbon cutting was held Thursday, the building officially opens in January 2023.
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