INVERTED HOUSE

Harvard University // Student Dormitory // Cambridge, MA // 2009

Conventional notions of the student dormitory often conjure visions of narrow halls flanked by cell-like rooms and book-ended with over-sized and under-utilized common space. To complicate matters, the nature of the Harvard House system is rooted in notions of secrecy and a manufactured tradition that undermines the utility of its spaces.

Inverted House projects the events of its interior outward and dissolves traditional unit aggregation strategies in favor of a clustering approach that maximizes interaction between its inhabitants, while offering a new perspective on notions of common space. Broken into smaller typological bits, these shared programs are appended to each unit type, allowing sophomores, juniors, and seniors to play host to one another in a more dynamic academic and social setting. On a large scale, the sacred courtyard typology is unhinged to allow for larger scale urban events and interaction to occur while still maintainig a staging space for formal student activities.