Among this year’s recipients of the American Academy of Arts and Letters 2025 Architecture Awards, two GSD Alumni were honored. Farshid Moussavi MArch ’91 was awarded the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize for her significant contribution to architecture as an art. Farshid is Professor in Practice of Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design…
The Master in Design Engineering (MDE) program prepares a new generation of leaders to create transformative solutions that address societal grand challenges. Hear from students and alumni about the MDE experience, including courses, extracurriculars, and cohort life. Learn more about the diverse academic backgrounds, projects, and ambitions that merge into daily life with the videos below….
Dear UPD Alumni, I hope this note finds you well and enjoying the winter. As the 2024–2025 academic year progresses, Gund Hall is once again bustling with students after the winter break. With phase one of the Gund Hall façade renewal project now complete, we are already enjoying a more energy-efficient, comfortable, and accessible learning…
Dear Alumni and Friends of Landscape Architecture, Greetings from Cambridge, where we have embarked upon the 125th year of the Landscape Architecture department and the third week of the spring semester. I recently traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, where Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture Sarah M. Whiting, Professor Anita Berrizbeitia MLA ’87, Charles…
Dear Design Discovery Friends and Alumni, Best wishes as we begin 2025! After a successful Gund Hall renovation, we are excited to offer our full set of GSD Design Discovery programs. Summer 2025 Harvard GSD Design Discovery program applications are now open, with an application deadline of April 21, 2025. Last summer, Design Discovery supported…
Presenting the MDE Trailer MDE is actively producing various videos that communicate the program to prospective students, employers, and the broader public. We began with the MDE trailer (below) and would be thrilled for you to share this within your own networks. We hope this is a resource for you in explaining MDE, especially if…
The Daniel Urban Kiley Teaching Fellowship is awarded to an emerging designer who demonstrates a promising trajectory towards consequential work in the design of the urban public realm. The Kiley Fellow will be appointed Lecturer in Landscape Architecture for the academic year. While the fellowship is awarded competitively on an annual or semi-annual basis, successful…
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) is pleased to announce C. Ronald Ostberg MArch ’68, Gretchen Schneider Rabinkin MArch ’97, Harry G. Robinson, III MCPUD ’73 and Calvin Tsao MArch ’79 as the 2024 recipients of the Harvard GSD Alumni Award. The award, now in its fourth year, honors outstanding leadership by GSD alumni…
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Alumni Council and Frances Loeb Library are pleased to honor three students with the 2024 Unsung Hero Book Prize. This year’s honorees are Ashutosh Lohana MDes ’24, Makio Yamamoto MLA ’25, MUP ’25, and Steve Hemmann MRE ’25. “The GSD is a truly global community, and when we look at our…
Celeste Martore’s journey to completing her master of architecture at the GSD followed a nontraditional path that started on the soccer field, in theaters, and on film sets. Celeste attended UC Berkeley to play soccer and earned her undergraduate degree in sustainable environmental design. With the rigors of collegiate soccer, she was unable to pursue…
“You’ll be looking at industrial buildings in a design class, and then the next day in a finance class you’ll have a guest lecturer who built an entire investment trust focused on industrial properties. He’ll make an offhand comment—something about the square footage of the building. And you realize: I know exactly what he’s talking…
“Why do drains look the way they look? Why is the mulch higher here, and why is it that color? Why does that stormwater drain sit the way it does? Whatever I make in life, I hope someone asks, ‘Why did you do this that way?’ because we can’t be confident that everything that’s been…
Annual giving helps ensure the continued impact of the GSD on those invested in the future of design, from our current and prospective students to the communities we work alongside. With various funds and giving opportunities to choose from, annual giving is the easiest way to support the next generation of GSD designers and planners….
“For people without an architecture background, it can be difficult to even consider pursuing an education in the field. Financial aid plays a crucial role in motivating and supporting nontraditional architecture students such as myself. Many students without an architectural background can bring forth unique perspectives, adding richness and diversity to the future of architecture.”…
“We strongly believed that a deeper level of engagement with community-based organizations could provide us with more comprehensive insights. We knew it would enrich our coursework by connecting theory with real-world implementation.” – Abdul-Razak Zachariah MUP ’23 Abdul-Razak Zachariah MUP ’23 and Lamei Zhang MUP ’23 met during their first year at the GSD in…
“Going to Central Falls and talking to people on the ground reveals things about the way that people live and use space that you wouldn’t be able to learn elsewhere.” – Gianina Yumul MUP ’23 Central Falls, Rhode Island is small both in terms of its geography and population, and its buildings aren’t particularly renowned…
Dear Alumni & Friends, I am thrilled to present the GSD’s Annual Impact of Giving report, where we celebrate your generous support of the GSD during the 2022–2023 fiscal year. Throughout this time of transition at Harvard, and amidst ongoing challenges, our students continue to innovate and design for our shared future. Our alumni and…
“Financial assistance was what made it possible for me to choose the GSD, and is especially important for students of color, who may not come from financial privilege. Going back to school at age 34 is valuable—because with age comes maturity, and there is always more to learn. This time around, my focus is on…
“Winning the Cossutta Prize helped my financial situation immensely, and my work and school performance have benefited. On top of that, I felt like I was affirmed for the work I had done these past two years. It made me much more confident as a designer.” —Maggie Musante MArch I ’24 _____ In Maggie’s undergraduate…
“For people without an architecture background, it can be difficult to even consider pursuing an education in the field. Financial aid plays a crucial role in motivating and supporting nontraditional architecture students such as myself. Many students without an architectural background can bring forth unique perspectives, adding richness and diversity to the future of architecture.”…
“With more financial aid, we could have a greater diversity of students at the GSD. I know many people who would never consider applying because they don’t have the financial means. That could have been me, easily. If I leave the GSD and I end up with the means, I plan to give back because…
Dear MDE Alumni, Greetings from Cambridge! Much has happened since the last newsletter, including several notable firsts: our first alumni reunion, the launch of an MDE alumni chapter, and an MDE representative (Zeerak Ahmed MDE ’18) joining the GSD Alumni Council. This is also my first newsletter as an MDE director, and the entire MDE…
Dear Alumni and Friends of Landscape Architecture, I bring you greetings from Cambridge during this eventful time in the fall semester. I understand that global events might be impacting you or your families, just as they’ve touched campus life, and I send my heartfelt support to each of you. There is much to report about…
Real Estate, as the saying goes, is about location, location, location. But it is also about timing. By one estimate, nearly one-sixth of U.S. commercial office space was vacant this past summer: a greater share than after the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008-2009—despite an economy so robust that the Federal Reserve Board has been…
Dear GSD community, It was wonderful to see so many of you last Thursday afternoon for our all-school event to start the semester, and a big thanks again to faculty members Danielle Choi, Toni Griffin, Eric Höweler, Dana McKinney White, and Andrew Witt for their incredibly thought-provoking presentations, and to Student Forum president Cory Page…
Dear Architecture Alumni, Hello and warm greetings from Cambridge! During my first month as Chair of the Department of Architecture, this summer is a particularly special and exhilarating time—a chance to recharge and imagine all the possibilities for discovery through design. I look forward to working together and I am immensely grateful to Dean Sarah…
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) is pleased to announce Edwin “Teddy” Cruz MDes ’97, Shaun Donovan AB ’87, MPA ’95, MArch ’95, William “Bill” Johnson MLA ’57, Frank Christopher Lee MAUD ’79, and Cathy Simon MArch ’69 as the 2023 recipients of the Harvard GSD Alumni Award. In its third year, the award honors…
“Winning the Cossutta Prize helped my financial situation immensely, and my work and school performance have benefited. On top of that, I felt like I was affirmed for the work I had done these past two years. It made me much more confident as a designer.” —Maggie Musante MArch I ’24 ________ Maggie’s journey to…
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s (GSD) Alumni Council and the GSD’s Frances Loeb Library are pleased to honor four students with the 2023 Unsung Hero Book Prize. This year’s honorees are Alexandra Barnes MDes ’23, Tobi Fagbule MDes ’23, Cory Page MLA ’25, MUP ’25, and Ellie Sheild MUP ’23, MRE ’24. “Each year, I am surprised…
“Financial assistance was what made it possible for me to choose the GSD, and is especially important for students of color, who may not come from a background of financial privilege. Going back to school at age 34 is valuable—because with age comes maturity, and there is always more to learn. This time around, my…
To most people, trash is just a mixture of discarded things without value. However, to Arthur Huang MArch ’04, trash represents a new beginning. Huang’s Taiwan-based company, MINIWIZ, home of the remarkable TRASHLAB laboratory, revolutionizes the waste and recycling industries through innovation, technology, and design. Essentially, MINIWIZ is on a mission to unlock the upcycling…
“Change will only happen if we include people that don’t come from hegemonic forms of power and influence, yet are disproportionately affected by structural outcomes.” — Francisco “Pancho” Brown MDes ’20 We recently spoke with Francisco “Pancho” Brown MDes ’20. Pancho is a Nicaraguan designer and creative consultant with experience in humanitarian and commercial architecture,…
“You can be an ambitious person who’s had a robust professional career, but also be self-aware enough to know when you need to take a break—because of whatever is happening in the world or in your life. The choice was clear to me once I sat down and really thought hard about what the best…
Tosin Odugbemi MArch ’24 often inhabits several spaces simultaneously, a skill and perspective that deeply benefits her study of the built environment. A child of two doctors, Tosin moved with her family from South Africa to Canada at a young age. She grew up in the prairies of British Columbia in a predominantly white neighborhood, with…
“I believe our role as designers is to think more systematically. It’s not just about designing the layout of the house, but understanding the impact of that house. What trees were on the land before? What species lived in those trees? We are beginning to understand that our role is not to design spaces and…
“Nature is changing, the climate is changing, and so we, too, need to change. We must understand that fixed definitions of nature from the past no longer apply in this era of uncertainty we are confronting. Climate change is causing cities to sink, and our current infrastructure is making us even more vulnerable to severe…
Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) announces Grace La MArch ’95 as Chair of the Department of Architecture, effective July 1, 2023. La is Professor of Architecture at the GSD and principal of LA DALLMAN, a practice internationally recognized for work that integrates architecture, engineering, and site. La is the second woman to be…
Henry B. Hoover March ’26 is considered a pioneer of New England modernist architecture. He designed more than 50 modern houses in his hometown of Lincoln, Mass., and other suburbs west of Boston, as well as houses in New Hampshire, Georgia, and Florida. The quality of his GSD education and the financial assistance Hoover received…
Statistical analysis and love don’t usually go together, but Kay O’Neil MCRP ’78 and David Nelson MCRP ’78 have found success with this unique pairing. The couple, who met at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), have been together for 42 years. They are thankful to the GSD both for the foundational skills…
Thomas Holtz MArch ’77 made his first mark on the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) library as an architectural draftsman. Holtz’s drawings in the Frances Loeb Library’s Special Collections trace the arc of his life and design career: the Cologne and Munich cathedrals in Germany, a country where Holtz studied as a Fulbright…
Bart Voorsanger MArch ’64 understands the value of connected multidisciplinary design. The founding partner and principal of Voorsanger Architects PC in New York City, his firm works on projects ranging from small residential interiors to multi-million dollar residential and institutional buildings, many of which involve collaborations within other design disciplines. Voorsanger sees a future in…
“On our very first day of school, [GSD professor] Jerold S. Kayden [MCRP ’79] said to me, ‘Being a planner can be a curse, because you actually live in your work and decisions.’ As I’ve grown in my position, that’s something I think about often. It helps me to be aware of the responsibilities and…
“My work is multi-layered and multi-disciplinary; sometimes it’s civic art, sometimes it’s planning, sometimes it’s community engagement, sometimes it’s architecture, sometimes it’s landscape design, and sometimes it’s a combination of everything.” — Paola Aguirre Serrano Paola Aguirre Serrano MAUD ’11, is a GSD Alumni Council member and the founder of Borderless Studio, an urban design…
Dear Landscape Architecture Alumni, I bring you greetings from Cambridge, where the autumn weather has been beautiful, and we are already past the midpoint of our fall semester. It’s my great pleasure to report that from where I sit, the mood in the school is positive and upbeat. Our “Back to School” gathering in early…
A Fall 2022 Message from Dean Sarah M. Whiting Dear GSD Alumni and Friends: First and foremost, I welcome students, faculty, staff, and soon alumni and friends, back to the GSD. It’s hard to believe it, but this is the first semester that we are starting fully in person since spring of 2020! Not only…
The GSD Alumni Council Award honors outstanding leadership by GSD alumni, underscoring the essential role GSD graduates play in leading change around the world. Founded and led by the GSD Alumni Council, the award recognizes and celebrates the diversity, leadership, range, and impact of GSD alumni within their communities and across their areas of practice….
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) is pleased to announce Chelina Odbert MUP ’07, Donald Stull MArch ’62 (in memoriam) and David Lee MAUD ’71, and Allyson Mendenhall FASLA, AB ’90, MLA ’99 as the 2022 recipients of the Harvard GSD Alumni Award. The award, in its second year, honors outstanding leadership by GSD alumni, underscoring…
Following the launch of Harvard Design Press last spring, the Press is pleased to announce the release of three titles this fall: John Andrews: Architect of Uncommon Sense, Frida Escobedo: Split Subject, and Empty Plinths: Monuments, Memorials, and Public Sculpture in Mexico. Documenting John Andrews’ MAUD ’87 path from Australia to the United States and…
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Alumni Council and the GSD’s Frances Loeb Library are pleased to honor five students with the 2022 Unsung Hero Book Prize. This year’s honorees are Junainah N. Ahmed MArch ’23, Aeshna Sanjive Prasad MAUD ’21, MDes ’22, Sarah Elizabeth Page MAUD ’23, Naksha Satish MAUD ’22, and Arshaya Sood MDes ’22,…
Dear Alumni and Friends, With the end of commencement ceremonies and celebrations held over the past several days, the school year officially has come to a close. Congratulations again to the class of 2022, as well as the graduates from 2020 and 2021, for whom we were, at long last and not a minute too…
During an unprecedented time, the Harvard GSD Alumni Council created Design Impact, a leadership series that emphasized design as a tool for transformative change and healing. Design’s power has always been most potent when its practitioners can come together. In the early days of the pandemic, though, the world was folding into small, quarantined boundaries….
