BRINGING IN THE LIGHT: Architect Steven Holl’s concept of integrating the surrounding landscape into the building, with plenty of natural light, was a major factor in the selection of his firm to design the new Rubinstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study. (Graphic courtesy of the Institute for Advanced Study)

Every ten years, The Institute for Advanced Study assesses the state of the campus and considers its most pressing issues. At the last review, the most outstanding need was identified: a new, 21st-century gathering space for the kind of social engagement and academic collaboration that makes this 86-year-old research community unique.

After a search was narrowed down to four renowned architectural firms, the Institute announced last week that Steven Holl Architects had been chosen to design the new, 20,000-square-foot Rubinstein Commons. Holl is also the designer of the Lewis Center for the Arts currently under construction on the Princeton University campus — a coincidence that was not a factor in the selection, according to the Institute’s Director Robbert Dijkgraaf.

“It really had no bearing at all,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said this week. “All of the final four firms [MOS Architects, OMA, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects were the other three] have a strong presence in Princeton already. We were really kind of flattered by the interest of these very prestigious firms. It was an embarrassment of riches for us.”

What distinguished the Holl firm’s vision from the other contenders was the way the proposed building fits into the Institute’s landscape, the quality of the materials, and, especially, the use of light. “Each of the firms had a different angle. But we were really struck by the way Steven Holl intends to bring in light in various forms,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said. “The roof has little alcoves, each with a different atmosphere because of the light. The design created a whole spectrum of different spaces by using artistic forms and shapes and lights. That was something we really were looking for — in some sense, a whole gradient of more formal and informal spaces. We have had a demand for this for a long time.”

Businessman and philanthropist David Rubinstein, who is co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group and is an Institute trustee, has funded the project. The Rubinstein Commons is being built to “support community and academic life on the IAS campus, promoting communication and collaboration through a variety of social and meeting spaces,” according to a press release. “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.”

The building will rise along a major pedestrian route near the center of the campus, on one side of Fuld Hall where a parking lot is currently located. With the dining hall on the opposite side of Fuld Hall, the new building will create “almost a central axis going across,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said. “It will be like two arms stretching across on the left and right toward the woods.”

Mr. Holl’s vision “has a strong dialogue with the landscape, which is important to us,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said. “It’s almost as if it’s looking up to Fuld Hall, which is such an iconic building, and playing with it in the sense of copying the colors of the roof. The final element is his intent to bring nature into the building using glass, in some sense creating little spaces where the grounds are infiltrating.”

The design of the building takes into account changing priorities and needs, as well as the fact that the campus accommodates smaller conferences and gatherings during the summer. “Academic practices are evolving,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said. “In the old days, people needed a room and to be left alone. Now, there is more of a need to collaborate in small groups. And academic practices stretch throughout the day. This building will provide spaces for people to collaborate and discuss and informally interact, whether during the day, in the evenings, or on weekends. It will enhance the experience and bring some of the practices to the 21st century.”