Harvard Graduate School of Design
LightNews LightNews
banner
gsd.harvard.edu
Harvard Graduate School of Design
@gsd.harvard.edu
2.2K followers 300 following 240 posts
gsd.harvard.edu
Posts Replies Media Videos
gsd.harvard.edu
MERCH has landed!

Get your hoodies, T-shirts, and totes for next week's Black in Design Conference at https://hgsd.us/BiD25tix .
October 31, 2025 at 2:48 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Black in Design 2025: Black Roots (November 7-8, 2025)

Continue the conversation over shared meals! Meal tickets are available. Sign up by Friday, Oct 31!

There are options to purchase admission to the reception on Friday evening, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday

https://hgsd.us/4op4peT
Artistic illustration featuring an afro pick silhouette with the text "Black Roots" overlaid on a textured background resembling an ancient map.
October 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Happy #NationalCatDay from Remy, making himself at home all around the GSD

Image 1: Zizheng Li
Image 2: Caspar Bhalerao
Images 3 and 4: Anita Kan
An orange cat wearing a collar with a tag, comfortably resting on a glass display case inside a museum. Large maps and informational posters are visible in the background. A cat on a cluttered office desk, interacting with papers and office supplies. A cat sitting on a desk, attentively watching a screen displaying a video of a bird. An orange cat lounges in a cardboard box on a desk in a library, surrounded by bookshelves and a checkout machine.
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
🚨 The Loeb Fellowship at the GSD is now accepting applications for the Class of 2027. Deadline: January 5, 2026. Full application details are available on the Loeb Fellowship website.
Promotional poster for the LOEB Fellowship at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, announcing that applications are open with a deadline of January 5, 2026. The poster is set on a vivid pink background with white text.
September 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
We are saddened by the news that Kongjian Yu (DDes ’95) has passed away. Widely lauded for his concept of the “sponge city,” Yu exerted a strong influence on the GSD, most recently delivering the Sylvester Baxter Lecture in 2023. The GSD offers condolences to Yu’s family, friends, and colleagues.
A person speaking at a podium with the Harvard University Graduate School of Design logo displayed on the front. Aerial view of visitors walking along boardwalks in a vibrant autumn marshland with orange and green foliage under a sunset.
September 24, 2025 at 6:28 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
🍁 we're so ready for a New England autumn, but it felt more like summer today at GSD
Exterior view of Gund Hall on a sunny day, showing people walking by and green trees surrounding the area. View of an individual sitting on a chair in a lush green park on the University campus, studying with a laptop, surrounded by scattered colorful chairs and shaded by trees, with classic university buildings in the background under a clear blue sky. A sunny view of a park with tall green trees, a clear blue sky, and a modern abstract sculpture near the center. Sunny day at Gund Hall with individuals sitting and walking in the surrounding grassy area.
September 22, 2025 at 8:18 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
"Weaving Workshop," a project by Peihao Jin (MArch II '26) from the fall '24 studio STU-1309: Earth-Dwelling Yuanyang, activates the traditional craft of bamboo weaving, aiming for a smoother transition from an agriculture-based primary economy to a tourism-driven service industry.
A close-up view of a wooden architectural model depicting undulating terrain with several small structures, focusing on a flat-roofed building at the foreground. A close-up of an architectural model featuring various building-shaped pieces assembled on a textured surface. A close-up view of a wooden topographical model with intricately layered contours, featuring simple building shapes on the surface. A scale model depicting a landscape with undulating contours, showcasing various small buildings arranged on a platform.
September 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
📚 Happy first day of classes!

📸: Justin Knight
Interior of a large terraced space with multiple levels, featuring students working at various stations, surrounded by equipment and large white pipes overhead.
September 2, 2025 at 12:00 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
orientation 2025: new year, new tote bags, new students, same Remy
An audience attentively views a large projection of multiple images featuring cats in various settings, displayed in a gallery with white walls and ceiling beams. Red tote bag with a white logo placed on a blue wire chair in a park setting with people seated in the background. A person smiling and holding a red Harvard University Graduate School of Design tote bag. Outdoor scene with people sitting and eating on grassy area near modern buildings in a university campus, partially obscured by green tree foliage.
August 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Happy International Cat Day from Dean Sarah M. Whiting('s cats, Gaston and Xylene)!
A black cat and a gray cat look at the camera close up
August 8, 2025 at 5:26 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
yes it's really us
Screenshot of GSD's Bluesky account with a blue verification check
July 5, 2025 at 2:15 AM
gsd.harvard.edu
📣 Announcing GSD's new faculty appointments for 2025-26! Nestor M. Davidson (Professor of Real Estate) and Avis Devine (Associate Professor of Real Estate) will join the school effective July 1. Welcome!
Portrait of Avis Devine in front of a window Portrait of Nestor M. Davidson
June 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Thanks for joining us in celebrating the Harvard Graduate School of Design Class of 2025!
Smiling graduates in academic regalia Dean Whiting, in academic regalia, addresses the crowd Dean Whiting, in academic regalia, addresses the crowd
May 30, 2025 at 5:39 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
🎙️ New Talking Practice episode! Host Grace La interviews Sheila O’Donnell, architect, educator and co-founder of O’Donnell + Tuomey.

hgsd.us/4mo4j6w
May 19, 2025 at 5:33 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
run don't walk to our thesis exhibition, now on view in Druker (Remy approved)
A wall saying HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN THESIS FINAL PROJECTS SPRING 2025 with Remy, an orange cat, walking by
May 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
The GSD’s 2025 end-of-year exhibitions are on view over the next several weeks in the Druker Design Gallery!

🎓 April 30: Studios and Seminars
🎓 May 13: Theses
🎓 May 29: Commencement Exhibition

Come see the work GSD students produced this academic year!
April 29, 2025 at 3:56 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
✨ Morning light in the Trays hits a little different now that Daylight Saving Time is here

📸: Borler Wu
The Trays at Gund Hall, several floors of terraced desks illuminated by interesting light patterns from an open ceiling
March 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.: Jala Makhzoumi, Acting President of IFLA, Middle East Region, will discuss how she contends with inadequate translations—and sometimes transliterations—that reduce “landscape” to scenery and narrow the professional scope of the landscape architect to urban beautification.
A stylized drawing of palm trees and other, shorter trees over some water.
March 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Last week: a film screening and conversation with the one and only Laurie Olin. The new film about his work, entitled SITTING STILL, offers an intimate look into the mind of Mr. Olin, a brilliant and irreverent landscape architect dedicated to designing public spaces fostering democracy and equality
People sitting in an auditorium at a panel discussion at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in front of a large video screen displaying the text SITTING STILL
February 28, 2025 at 8:09 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Sparsh Gandhi (MArch I ’27) envisions a dynamic urban space in The Civic Mat Building, developed for the Second Semester Architecture Core studio. The project integrates the vibrancy of Boston's Chinatown with the organized spatial logic of the Leather District into a cohesive mat building.
A longitudinal architectural section drawing of a multi-level building, depicting the arrangement of spaces like recreational areas, meeting rooms, and transitional zones. The linework details the interior organization and structural design. A floor plan for the third floor, labeled as transitional housing, showing the arrangement of elevators and communal spaces. The drawing highlights the spatial configuration in a clean and organized format. A physical architectural model showcasing a modern building with white walls, red accents, and an elevated base. The model reveals the sectional interiors, showing open spaces, staircases, and furniture. A close-up view beneath a building model showing a pedestrian area with two miniature human figures walking under red roofing and concrete pillars, accompanied by abstract seating and mirrored columns.
February 19, 2025 at 7:07 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Our exhibition Envisioning Cluny: Kenneth Conant and Representations of Medieval Architecture (1872–2025) is on view until April 4! It celebrates the study of medieval architecture at Harvard, with the connecting thread of Kenneth Conant, who taught architectural history here from 1920-54.
A centered view of two ornate capitals placed on blue pedestals in front of a photographic backdrop of classical columns. The gallery entrance featuring a striking black-and-white mural of classical columns, with additional framed drawings and information panels along a blue wall. A centered view of two ornate capitals placed on blue pedestals in front of a photographic backdrop of classical columns.
February 11, 2025 at 9:27 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
“What Air Do We Share?” By Ann Tanaka (MArch I ’26) & Hazel Gao (MArch I ’27) reimagines co-living in Chelsea, MA, addressing air & noise pollution through design that promotes both environmental & social health.
Architectural model of a group of buildings Interior model of a laundry area with hanging clothes and a ceiling fan. Model of a large building with several rooms and floors Model of a room with a desk, chair, and shelves.
January 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Student work: Eric Pham (MArch I ’27) reimagines Boston Chinatown’s civic architecture with a vibrant center for community organizing, celebration, and connection, honoring its history of resistance.
Architectural model of a long flat building Architectural model of a long flat building with some plants underneath it Architectural model of a building with many windows Architectural diagram of a long flat building
January 15, 2025 at 6:34 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
"Envisioning Cluny: Kenneth Conant and Representations of Medieval Architecture, 1872–2025" is on view January 21 through April 4 in the Druker Design Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Christine Smith, Robert C. and Marian K. Weinberg Professor of Architectural History at GSD.

hgsd.us/3DP5me0
Text: ENVISIONING CLUNY: Kenneth Conant and Representations of Medieval Architecture, 1872-2025, Druker Design Gallery 01.21.25-04.04.25, superimposed over a drawing of a cathedral
January 14, 2025 at 5:24 PM
gsd.harvard.edu
Alex Yang & Guillermo Mendoza (both MArch I ‘26) reimagine housing with adaptable designs inspired by industrial systems. Their project for the Fourth Semester Architecture Core: RELATE studio proposes a flexible complex that evolves with residents’ needs.
Architectural model of a four-story building elevated above a base Side view of architectural model of a four-story building elevated above a base Architectural models of a four-story building elevated above a base Architectural model of a long building with trees
January 8, 2025 at 5:51 PM