Description

In 1948, TAC was commissioned by Harvard University to design a new graduate center comprised of a common area, dining facilities, and dormitories. The Harvard Graduate Center was the first major modern architectural commission by the university. TAC aimed to integrate this new complex of buildings with existing structures on campus. For example, the dormitories were faced in brick with limestone so that there would be a clear visual link with nearby Langdell Hall. The complex, however, is distinguished by its light and airy reinforced concrete skeletal frame and ribbon windows. A large ramp connects the ground floor of the common area to the dining and kitchen areas above. Another feature of the Harvard Graduate Center complex is the strong relationship between art and architecture. Walter Gropius, the lead TAC principal on the job, commissioned artists Josef Albers, Hans Arp, Herbert Bayer, Gyorgy Kepes, Richard Lippold, and Joan Miró to produce work for both the indoor and outdoor spaces of the graduate center area. TAC not only executed the designs for the graduate center buildings, but also produced designs for dormitory furniture and kitchenware. Thus, the Harvard Graduate Center project demonstrates the holistic nature of TAC’s practice, encompassing aspects of both building as well as interior design.