Project name: The Richard A. & Susan F. Smith Campus Center
Project location: Cambridge, MA
Firm name: Hopkins Architects with Bruner/Cott
Jury comments: An ode to Josep Lluis Sert, this reimagined campus center respects all the strength and smart-ness of Sert’s original building while drawing it forward into the twenty-first century. The renovation was a Herculean task, turning the 1960s tower into a true community asset. Once, this building in the heart of Harvard Square was an uninviting concrete corridor. Today, it is opened and enlivened. The new glass entrance bumps out into the plaza and creates a two-floor com-mons that welcomes the urban and university communities. Green walls and details in warm wood add vitality and soften once-hard spaces. People clearly love being here. The Smith Campus Center is comfortable, contemporary, and contextual. As we enter an age in which we must creatively and considerately upgrade our existing building stock, the Smith Campus Center stands as a shining example, reinvigorating the used and historic with success and humanity.
Client: Harvard University
Consultants: Consigli; Arup; Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
