Cambridge, MA
The renovation of Rockefeller Hall for the Harvard Divinity School included a landscape restoration of approximately 1.5 acres in the heart of the campus. The design included an outdoor cafeteria, a garden terrace beneath historic oak trees, meditative spaces around a stone labyrinth, and the conversion of a decommissioned parking lot into a vibrant campus green.
The central green was restored for University functions, passive seasonal use and annual events. It serves to unify the site and historic buildings that surround the new green, while connecting the Divinity School to the greater campus. Edges were established through careful placement of path systems and linear tree plantings. The landscape was restored with native vegetation. A bioswale filters stormwater runoff from the adjacent city street, while porous pavers and a sub-surface leaching system maximize on-site stormwater treatment. The project is a model for how the University is sensitively expanding their footprint into adjacent neighborhoods, while maintaining a visible environmental ethic and cohesive campus landscape.
Recognition
Boston Society of Landscape Architects | Merit Award 2009
Collaborators
Venturi, Scott Brown Associates
Photography
Charles Mayer
Stephen Stimson
Ngoc Doan