Architecture, preservation and planning that inspire transformation

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Print this page
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • News
Menu
  • Inspiring Works
  • Architecture
    • Higher Education
      • Academic
      • Business Schools
      • Student Life
      • Science + Technology
      • Campus Planning
    • Civic & Government
  • Planning
    • Campus and Community
    • Real Estate Development
    • Downtowns and Special Districts
    • Transit-Oriented Development
    • Neighborhoods and Housing
    • Waterfronts
    • Region and Community
    • Corridors and Main Streets
    • Resilience
  • Preservation
    • Higher Education
      • Academic
      • Student Life
      • Science + Technology
      • Campus Planning
    • Adaptive Reuse
    • National Historic Landmarks
    • Exterior Restoration
    • Sustainable Preservation
    • Civic & Government
  • People
    • Leadership
    • Culture
  • About Us
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Civic Engagement
    • Awards
    • News
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
The Jordans Renovation of Pforzheimer House
  • Student Life
  • /
  • Higher Education
  • /
  • Preservation
  • Preservation
  • /
  • Higher Education
  • /
  • Student Life
Harvard Jordans of Pforzheimer House renovation midcentury modern Goody Clancy Preservation Restoration Architecture student life residence hall

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Celebrating Midcentury Modern design while reinvigorating the student life within

The Jordans, part of Harvard’s Pforzheimer House, was opened by Radcliffe College in 1961 as an experiment in communal living. Our renovation transformed this pair of three-story residences, revealing the beauty of their underlying physical form. We reconfigured living spaces to capitalize on daylight and connections to the outside, increasing their appeal to students.

Prior to renovation, the Jordans had fallen into disrepair and were judged “least attractive” by Harvard students. Although not obvious, the buildings offered real opportunities, primarily because of the site and landscape. The large corner lot and the opportunity to utilize daylight and views helped to shape an interior and exterior design that provided almost every student room with a direct visual connection to nature. The Jordans are now highly coveted by juniors and seniors.

  • Bed count increased from 54 to 63 without changing the buildings’ square footage.
  • New program organizes groups of two, three, and four single bedrooms in a common suite area with a kitchenette and private bathroom.
  • Large operable windows were installed, filling the end walls of the common suite areas and providing an open, airy view of the exterior courtyard and landscaping.
  • Once an impediment to access, the raised site became an opportunity to create a new social space, a path between stepped planter beds with a seat wall, and bike storage.
  • Other improvements included wheelchair accessible entries to both buildings, and adding an elevator to Jordan South.
Show more ↓Show less ↑

Harvard Jordans of Pforzheimer House renovation midcentury modern Goody Clancy Preservation Restoration Architecture student life residence hall

Program

  • 63 beds in groups of two, three, and four single bedrooms
  • Common suite areas contain kitchenette and private bathroom
  • New laundry facility
  • Common room

Size

28,000 GSF

Photographers

© Anton Grassl/ESTO
© Richard Mandelkorn Photography

Goody Clancy Preservation News

  • AIAU Picks Up Embodied Carbon 101 Series
  • RIBA Webinar Series – Global Architecture Exchanges
  • Lori Ferriss Discusses Preservation of Historic Structures in SCUP Webinar Series
  • Read more →

On the Boards

  • Engineering Building Renovation and Addition
  • Integrated Science Center 4
  • College of Business
  • Read more →

Sustainability & Resilience

At Goody Clancy, our environmental philosophy is founded upon macro-resiliency in planning for neighborhoods and communities and the sustainable design of new and renewed buildings, systems, and the user environment.

Read more →

  • ©2023 Goody Clancy. All rights reserved.
    • /
    • Privacy Policy
    • /
    • Site Map
  • 420 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116-3866
  • /
  • P. 617.262.2760
  • /
  • F. 617.262.9512
  • Design and development by RainCastle Communications