Thomas J. Lucey, director of University relations with the city, said the aesthetics and practicality of a raised courtyard benefit the community beyond just Kennedy School students.

“Raising the courtyard is a huge win for the community,” Lucey said. “The height, the scale, the density, the design approach, really fits right in with both the existing campus and the surrounding neighborhood.”

The school will use space in the One Brattle Square building as temporary swing classrooms and offices during the construction period.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects—who designed Harvard Business School’s Spangler Center—and Michael Van Valkenburgh are working as the architect and landscape architect for the construction project.

Despite the significant expansion in campus size, Haigh emphasized that HKS will not be expanding its student population and all faculty hiring can be attributed to separate capital campaign goals, not directly a result of new space.

University President Drew G. Faust commended the plans in an emailed statement.

“I am excited about the development of a modern learning environment that will enable the School to enhance and strengthen teaching and research, and I am confident that the transformation set out in the proposed design will be nothing short of extraordinary,” Faust wrote.

—Staff writer Amna H. Hashmi can be reached at amna.hashmi@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @amna_hashmi.

—Staff writer Forrest K. Lewis can be reached at forrest.lewis@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @ForrestKLewis.