Graduate & Professional Schools | August 19, 2015

Harvard's summer of heavy construction

Overhauling the Kennedy School campus, the Business School’s new executive-education center, and College House renewal

From The September-October 2015 Issue

Heavy construction under way in the Harvard Kennedy School's (former) courtyard
Photograph by Harvard Magazine/JC

Harvard Business School’s Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center
Photograph by Harvard Magazine/JC

Dunster House renovation nearing completion—in time to welcome returning students for the fall term
Photograph by Harvard Magazine/JC

Summer exterior renovations at Winthrop House
Photograph by Harvard Magazine/JC

At least for members of the Boston-area building trades, the recession and Harvard’s belt-tightening are in the rearview mirror. Major projects under way during the frenetic summer season (see photo gallery above) included the wholesale reconstruction of the Kennedy School campus, beginning with excavation of the somewhat-sunken courtyard; it will be raised to street level, accommodating future kitchens, loading docks, and other utilities underneath. Across the Charles River, Harvard Business School’s Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center, a replacement executive-education facility, took shape. The reconstruction of Dunster House, part of the College’s House renewal, drew to a close in time to welcome students back from swing spaces for the fall semester. Exterior work began on Winthrop House, to prepare for full renovation and expansion in 2016-2017. And in early August, scaffolding was erected to begin the exterior refurbishment of the former Holyoke Center, now the Smith Campus Center, in Harvard Square (not shown); pending regulatory review, it will be extensively renovated and, at street level, repurposed, and debut in 2018.

Published in the September-October 2015 print issue under the headline “Campuses Under Construction,” in the John Harvard's Journal section.

You might also like

An illustration of robots doing housework

Humanoid Robots. Virtual Reality. Which Technologies Will Last?

Harvard Business School’s Andy Wu discusses far-out innovations.

An illustration depicting a series of mouths and heart organs connected by lines, indicating the link between oral hygiene and heart health

Five Questions with Tien Jiang

How brushing and flossing can protect your heart

Graduates celebrate joyfully, wearing caps and gowns, with some waving and smiling.

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

Most popular

Bronze statue of a seated figure holding a book, with a campus setting in the background.

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

A woman jogs on a path beside a boy riding a bicycle, surrounded by trees.

To Promote Healthy Habits in Patients, Start With the Doctors

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches

Panoramic view of Harvard University with autumn foliage and a river under a cloudy sky.

When Government Funding Dropped, Harvard Found Partners

The University is expanding industry ties and investing its own funds to support research, but neither will replace lost federal dollars.

Explore More From Current Issue

Black and white portrait of a woman with medium-length hair, smiling softly.

Alumni

The outgoing executive director and Harvard Business School graduate went from dancing The Nutcracker to growing a ballet company.

St. Peter's Basilica at sunset, illuminated by purple and orange sky reflections in the river.

Alumni

For advocacy and benevolence, three late alumni are reportedly in line for the Catholic Church’s highest honor.

Health & Medicine

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches