Project

Home Sweet Pforzheimer House

A strategic intervention promotes collegiality and supports Pforzheimer House traditions

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In Progress
Adaptive Reuse
Civic
Cultural
Development
Higher Ed
K-12

Harvard University Radcliffe Quadrangle

Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

This project included the renovation and new construction of nine residential halls on the Radcliffe Quadrangle. The challenge was to unify Pforzheimer and Cabot Houses internally and externally, spatially and functionally, providing each house with the public space and collaborative suite living that contributes so much to Harvard’s residential life. The existing buildings consisted of typical double-loaded corridors with single and double rooms with shared toilet facilities. Reconfiguration of the Houses allowed contemporary suite-style units to be integrated into the unique conditions of each building.

Thumbnail and final photo credit: Bostonian13 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

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Size
350,000
Scope
Renovation, Addition
Program
Lobby + Gathering Spaces, Student Rooms, Dining Halls, Food Service Facility, Common Areas
Sustainability
Awards
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Project EUI
Frontal view of Harvard University's Radcliffe Quadrangle on a bright summer day.
Angled view of Pforzheimer House and Cabot Cafe and Hall from Harvard Univeristy's Radcliffe Quadrangle.
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The project was completed in three years through phased construction, minimizing disruption during the academic year.

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Angled view of a stairway with light blue colors, column, and a chandelier.
Interior view of a communal living area in one of the houses on Radcliff Quadrangle, with red couches around a coffee talve in teh foreground, and classical wooden fireplace in the background, with a bookshelf to the left.
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Finegold Alexander first prepared a master plan for the Quadrangle complex that defined two houses - of 350 students each - for the Harvard College residential system.

Tables in Pforzheimer House in the double height space facing the quad.
Angled view of the Pforzheimer House from teh Radcliffe Quadrangle.
Harvard University's Radcliffe Quadrangle lit up at night.
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The Pforzheimer House dining hall is a dramatic double height, bright open space carved out of the existing building by removing the first floor.

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In Progress
Adaptive Reuse
Civic
Cultural
Higher Ed
K-12
Development