A Civic/Institutional Design Award of Excellence is given to Gund Hall, home to the Harvard Graduate School of Design for restoration of the curtain wall. Designed by John Andrews, it is an excellent example of the use of concrete in Late Modernism, straddling Brutalism and Structural Expressionism with its sloped massing, stepped glazing, and exposed mechanical equipment. The building has proven difficult to maintain and insulate, and replacement of its neoprene divided-lite curtain wall was necessary to address these challenges. This required advanced glazing design as well as other state-of-the-art technologies to meet visual and performance requirements for the glazing. The new glazing increases natural light within the studio despite the added layers of glass and vastly reduces solar heat-gain, while also steeply reducing the building’s operational carbon output. The restoration of Gund Hall’s curtain wall balances a meticulous commitment to conserving Andrews’ design with an equivalent respect for the environment.

Harvard Graduate School of Design

Bruner/Cott Architects (Design & Executive Architect, Prime Consultant); Shawmut Design & Construction (Construction Manager); Redgate Real Estate (Owner’s Project Manager); Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (Building Envelope Consultant, Structural Engineer); Vanderweil Engineers (MEP Engineer, Sustainability Consulting), Lam Partners (Daylighting Consultant); Jensen Hughes (Building & Accessibility Code); Kalin Associates (Specifications); Heintges Consulting Architects & Engineers (BECx); A&A Window Products (Glazer); Oldcastle Building Envelope/OBE 360 (Curtainwall & IGU Fabricator); Vitro (VIG, Glass Substrate, and Glass Coating Supplier)