Building Services

Gund Hall. Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

Building Services at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design strives to support the pedagogy of all those that connect with the campus. We go beyond maintaining an immaculate, safe, and sustainable environment by ever-adapting to prepare the learning environments of the future. We offer open communication to proactively promote the comfort and productivity of faculty, students, staff, and visitors alike, continually improving our services and resources for the utmost customer satisfaction.

Access to Buildings

Monday, August 16, all GSD campus buildings will officially reopen to all Harvard University ID holders, according to the hours below:

GSD Affiliates

Access from 5am to 2am, seven days per week, to Gund Hall, 485 Broadway, 7 Sumner, and 40 and 42 Kirkland (20 Sumner has its own schedule and generally closes overnight)

Harvard Affiliates

Access to GSD buildings will mirror open hours of the Loeb Library (which will open on August 23)

With a few exceptions, we are preparing to resume in-person courses at the school, but please note that GSD campus buildings will be accessible to the Harvard community only. Because of that, it will be important to keep your university ID on you at all times, and everyone will be required to follow university guidelines for in-person gatherings when on campus. Among the most important of these guidelines are:

Vaccination will be required of anyone planning to enter campus buildings, unless you have submitted an exemption to Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) on medical or religious grounds. Please submit your vaccination record to HUHS at their Verify your Vaccine website, if you have not done so already. Course registration will also be contingent on student compliance with the vaccination requirement. Students who do not have access to a WHO-approved vaccine in their home countries will be able to get vaccinated when they arrive on campus and will be able to register and participate in courses, so long as they are making progress toward full vaccination. More details will be shared with students directly.
Regular testing for COVID-19 infection will be required. Frequency of individuals’ required testing will depend on personal and other factors. Within the coming weeks, each member of the Harvard community will be able to find their required testing frequency by logging into Crimson Clear.
Social distancing is no longer required at Harvard except for unvaccinated individuals (who will follow the now-familiar 6-feet rule). It is possible that with the continued spread of the Delta variant and rising cases of infection across the U.S. the university will need to implement social distancing measures at some point in the future, but if that happens the GSD is well prepared to transition immediately to social-distanced instruction, and if need be virtual instruction.
Face masks will be required for anyone inside a GSD campus building, and consumption of food in meetings or in spaces shared by multiple people will not be allowed.
Room occupancy fire safety limits in all campus buildings must be followed at all times.

Given that our campus buildings will be accessible only to university ID holders and given the requirements above, the school’s public programs and all other events planned by individual departments, programs, offices, and student groups will need to happen virtually.