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In need of a permanent home, the Arnold Arboretum Landscape Institute of Harvard moved from Radcliff Yard to the space previously occupied by the Harvard Police Department. The building at 29 Garden Street had been renovated for graduate student housing, but the basement and first level remained untouched and vacant. Wide-open space and a semi-recessed basement made this location ideal for classrooms and ready for a new look. The summer renovation took place in seven weeks, completed in time for fall classes.
A schedule and a communication plans was immediately developed to minimize disruption for the graduate students living in the building. Equipment and material deliveries were carefully coordinated in the congested urban setting.
Because the building had previously contained only dorm rooms, a new HVAC system was installed on the roof to support the addition of offices and classrooms. Crews maneuvered carefully around the tight living quarters.
The Institute’s modern design incorporates exposed brick walls and a two-story atrium to create an open classroom studio feel. The dramatic lighting design features fixtures suspended from the ceiling of the first floor that descend into the basement classroom. Upstairs, classrooms and offices are enclosed with tinted green glass. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls required precise architectural attention. Clear and green sheets of serrated, butt-glazed glass were installed in the compact space. A new, open stair connects the two floors, while a newly poured concrete floor complements the exposed brick and glass walls.
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