Harvard Science Center
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| Harvard Science Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Science Center |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Architect | Josep Lluís Sert |
| Owner | Harvard University |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Style | Modernist |
| Material | Brick, concrete, glass |
Harvard Science Center is a major academic building on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed in 1973 as part of a campus expansion overseen by President Derek Bok and planned during the administrations of Nathan Marsh Pusey and P. D. "Pat" Shaughnessy. Designed by architect Josep Lluís Sert of the firm Sert, Jackson & Associates, the building serves as a hub for facilities used by faculties connected to John Harvard's legacy, adjacent to landmarks such as Memorial Hall, Widener Library, and the Harvard Yard. Its placement on Oxford Street links it to the urban fabric of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Kendall Square innovation district, and transportation nodes including Harvard Square and the Red Line (MBTA).
History
The center's conception arose amid postwar campus planning debates involving figures like James Bryant Conant and organizations such as the Harvard Corporation and the Harvard Board of Overseers. Groundbreaking followed site negotiations with the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts and coordination with civic entities including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology planning offices and the Cambridge Historical Commission. Construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s intersected with national conversations exemplified by events like the Vietnam War protests and the expansion of federal funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The building's opening in 1973 was marked by addresses from Harvard administrators and participation by scholars affiliated with centers like the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Architecture and Facilities
Sert's Modernist design reflects influences from Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and the Bauhaus movement, emphasizing brick facades, concrete massing, and expansive glazing reminiscent of projects by Alvar Aalto and Mies van der Rohe. The plan includes lecture halls inspired by European models seen in buildings by Ernst May and ties to urban examples like the Barcelona Pavilion. Major spaces include auditoria named in honor of donors associated with institutions such as the Harvard Alumni Association and rooms configured for pedagogy used by schools like the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Mechanical systems were installed with consulting firms that have worked with entities such as the General Services Administration and the American Institute of Architects. Exterior plazas connect to sculptures and sightlines toward Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Charles River, while pedestrian circulation aligns with routes to Massachusetts Hall and the Science and Engineering Complex (Pennsylvania).
Departments, Labs, and Academic Use
The center supports classes and laboratories for departments associated with faculties including Physics Department, Harvard University, Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, Harvard University, and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University. Undergraduate courses from the Harvard College premedical curriculum and cross-registered offerings with neighboring institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology utilize its lecture halls and teaching laboratories. Research groups connected to centers like the Broad Institute and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have at times collaborated in joint programs and seminars held in the building. Facilities include tiered lecture theatres used for courses formerly taught by professors like Steven Pinker, Lisa Randall, and visiting scholars from institutions such as Princeton University, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley.
Public Programs and Events
The center hosts public lectures and events that have featured figures associated with organizations like the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the Royal Society. Lectures have included presenters from think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and visiting dignitaries from cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Science, Boston. Student groups connected to the Harvard Crimson and the Harvard Lampoon stage events in its common areas, while conferences bringing together delegates from universities including Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago use its meeting rooms. The building has also been used for public science outreach aligned with festivals like the Cambridge Science Festival and initiatives by foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Art, Sculpture, and Harvard Observatory Collection
Sited near collections curated by the Harvard Art Museums and the Fogg Museum, the center incorporates artworks and commissions by sculptors and artists connected to institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum. The plaza hosts outdoor pieces in dialogue with works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi, and Henry Moore, and indoor installations reference holdings of the Harvard College Observatory and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, which maintains historic instruments linked to astronomers like Edward Charles Pickering, Annie Jump Cannon, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Exhibitions in adjacent galleries have drawn loans from archives including the Schlesinger Library and the Houghton Library.
Renovations and Preservation Efforts
Over the decades, preservationists from the Cambridge Historical Commission and advocates associated with the Preservation League of New York State have debated modernization proposals filed with the Harvard Corporation and design reviews involving the Boston Preservation Alliance. Renovation projects have balanced upgrades to HVAC systems akin to standards promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council and conservation guidelines referenced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Recent capital campaigns led by donors affiliated with entities such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported improvements to accessibility in line with statutes like the Americans with Disabilities Act and campus-wide initiatives guided by administrators who worked with consulting firms that have partnered with the American Council on Education.
Category:Harvard University buildings