Boston University has filed plans with the BPDA for its proposed 19-story data-sciences building, to house the school's computer sciences and mathematics and statistics departments, along with an interdisciplinary center that combines the two.

The building, which would go up on what is now a parking lot on Commonwealth Avenue at Granby Street, was designed to foster fields of study that now permeate pretty much everything the university now teaches, BU says:

Collectively, the data sciences permeate all aspects of contemporary academic life, as advances within them open doors to progress in many other disciplines. This new, iconic building will provide a centralized location for existing departments to come together in a truly collaborative and innovative structure.

And BU declares the new tower will be a welcome addition to the Boston skyline:

The Charles River Esplanade and Charles River will afford some of the stateliest views of the Project from both banks of the River, with the geometric tower levels rising unobstructed above the brownstones situated along Storrow Drive and Bay State Road. Approximately 70 feet taller than the next highest building in the immediate vicinity, the cantilevers and material changes will create a dynamic form that engages with the skyline, integrating the Project into the existing urban fabric.

Look at that view from the river - and those birds:

The proposed view from Kenmore Square:

The proposed view from the west:

The building is not the first one proposed for Boston with an unusual stacked-boxes look. Last year, the BPDA approved a new complex at and above Back Bay station that includes the same sort of design.

Boston University Data Science Center project notification form (39M PDF).