Harvard University - Cambridge, MA
Sherman Fairchild Biochemistry Laboratory

Harvard sought a contemporary building respectful of the materials and character of the context, while providing state-of-the-art facilities for biochemistry researchers and the surrounding community. The new building transforms the existing residential context (sprinkled with parking lots) to one more appropriate for academic life, complete with landscaped quadrangles and pathways that enrich and extend the pattern of historic Harvard Yard. The new 105,000-square-foot-building joins to an existing building to the west (the Conant Chemistry Laboratory), creating a new courtyard. While Conant serves as the focal point of this protected oasis, the two sides of Fairchild facing the courtyard are transparent, allowing views into the labs and other spaces. In contrast, the new building faces the street with heavy brick walls echoing the materials, massing, and fenestration of the older structures nearby.