This project is the latest of LWA’s interventions at the Harvard Science Center, which have spanned over two decades working with this midcentury landmark. This effort focuses on the design and construction of approximately 20,000 sf of new teaching laboratory, office, and classroom space on the first and second floors and improvements to adjacent corridors, public spaces, and common areas.
The project addresses the key challenge of resolving the tension between the contemporary desire to make science more visible within Harvard’s critical undergraduate science building while preserving Josep Lluis Sert’s original concept of a campus pedestrian “crossroads”. The renovation transforms the first and second floor from a separated scheme of laboratories and corridors defined by hard edges and opaque walls into a transparent, open, and welcoming series of public spaces flanked by laboratories with science on display. The interior pedestrian “highways” central to Sert’s original scheme are preserved while the finishes are updated to create a more welcoming atmosphere within the concrete-dominated interior.
The renovation introduces glazed partitions to open and visually connect the teaching spaces and central staircase to the public areas. The glazing replaces opaque, dark metal panels, which formerly created a sharp division between instruction and circulation. Strategically inserted seating areas with brightly-colored accent furniture welcome students and staff to meet and collaborate, offering touch-down spaces for group and individual study within the building’s public realm. Corridors on the second floor are enhanced with cantilevered balconies defined by warm wood finishes and laptop bars for gathering and impromptu interactions. Alcoves along the corridor provide spaces of rest, study, and collaboration along the mezzanine.
On the first floor, a new staff office suite, student lounge, and large learning classroom provides a new hub for collaborative learning. A collection of offices surrounds a public lounge populated with flexible furniture and ample writing surfaces. A large graphic felt wall anchors the space’s identity. The proximity and transparency between offices, study areas, and the classroom enables easy collaboration between students, teaching fellows, and instructors.
This project is a close collaboration between LWA and ADP Architecture: LWA led all work in the public areas, common spaces, classrooms, and offices while ADP Architecture will led the design and documentation for the laboratory portions of the project.