The Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale University is a contemporary, 12,200-square-foot center tucked away behind larger buildings that serves as an important nucleus for research-based programs within Yale’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. The center brings together students from diverse disciplines to the new building where collaboration to solve real-world issues can be done. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, the innovative building’s elliptical form is centrally positioned in a courtyard surrounded by taller, boxy structures, creating a unique juxtaposition. Lined by undulating, transparent glass walls, the design allows visibility inside to see and participate in the work inside. The Tsai Center is one of my favorite new buildings in New England and showcases how high-quality and innovative design can make a big architectural statement, even if the building is just a small pavillion-like structure.