harvard university

Robinson Hall is an old distinguished building designed in the late 1890’s by the renowned architectural firm McKim Mead and White. Located in Harvard Yard, this project involved accommodating a relatively large program in a small area without adding to or altering the historic exterior of the building.

By reorganizing and reclaiming under-utilized areas, and by adding a large mezzanine into one of the building’s two-story spaces, OMR was able to significantly increase the net usable area without an addition to the building.

The program includes offices, administrative spaces, seminar rooms, an open student/faculty lounge in the heart of the building, and the renovation of the building’s two-story “great space.” The offices are situated along the perimeter of the lounge. Each office has a partially glassed ceiling that is angled to permit views out while admitting natural daylight from the open space overhead. The result is a flowing, light-filled configuration of private offices clustered around an open student/faculty lounge. OMR also redesigned the building’s main entrance terrace and handicapped access routes (including an elevator) so that the building and the Yard work together, simply and naturally.