Work Order Request Form
Report a Problem
If you see something in need of maintenance or repair at the GSD, you may submit a work order via the Work Order Request Form. Be sure to include the exact location of the issue, as well as your contact information on the form. (Note: Your workstation number is located on the outer part of your desk facing the aisle in yellow adhesive, made up of a number, a letter, and another number.) If the form is offline, please email your request to [email protected], along with your contact information and the exact location of the problem. A Building Services staff member will respond as soon as possible to the email address provided.Trevor O’Brien
Barry Harper
Custodial Services
GSD Facilities and Campus Operations Office provides custodial support for academic courses and administrative meetings.
Submit a Custodial Request or Facilities Maintenance Request
Custodial Staff
Day Shift
Fitz Patrick Odhiambo – Site Supervisor
Huberto Tejada – Crew Chief, Lobby Support
Argenis Brea – Lobby and Studio Support
Open – Studio Support
Ruddy Gonzalez – Studio Support
Night Shift
Aldorae Barrett – Site Supervisor
Edgar Juarez – Crew Chief, Lobby Support
Berquis Barias – Lobby and Office Support
Yanira Cardoza – Office Support
Open – Office Support
Santo Uben – Office Support
Custodial Policy and Rates 2025-2026:
The current rate for Custodial Services is $62/hour, with a 2-hour minimum ($124), for all public and GSD events hosted in multi-purpose rooms, including Piper, Stubbins, Portico Rooms, Loeb Library Lobby, Druker Design Gallery, Chauhaus, or any exterior space. A 4-hour minimum may be imposed when the event is one or more of the following: held after 3 PM, includes a reception or sit-down meal, requires the use of more than one room, involves catering staff, or is scheduled on a heavy academic support day. Events that request a dedicated custodian will have a 4-hour minimum ($248.00*). Lastly, for large-scale events with 100+ attendees or any weekend event, custodial coverage will be charged for the duration of the event plus 2 hours of set-up and 2 hours of breakdown. The number of custodians needed for the event will be determined by Facilities and Campus Operations or by the formula of (1) custodian for every 100 attendees.
Custodians will be given any instructions listed in SERT by the Facilities and Campus Operations Office so it is important to be as detailed as possible in your room requests. *Please note that an estimate of charges will be given when making requests. Due to overtime or more time needed for clean up this cost could go and will be communicated to the event requestor.
Facilities and Campus Operations reserves the right to charge Custodial Fees due to misuse of space or policies that result in custodial staff being unable to accomplish their regularly scheduled shift work.
Billing & Payment
Harvard Departments: should provide a 33-digit billing code when requesting services and will be charged after the work has been completed.
Student Groups: must secure funding in advance from Student Forum for custodial services. Email Erica George, the Coordinator of Student Activities and Outreach at [email protected] indicating the event date and anticipated cost of the service. Once approved, an invoice will be emailed directly to the Coordinator of Student Activities and Outreach from Building Services within 30 days of the event. Checks made out to “President and Fellows of Harvard College” will be sent to the Coordinator of Student Activities and Outreach within 30 days of invoice date.
Emergencies
Emergency Information for the GSD Community
Emergency Contact Information
| Medical | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| City Police | 911 |
| Harvard University Police | (617) 495-1212 |
| Harvard University Health Services Urgent Care | (617) 495-5711 |
| Office of Sexual Assualt Prevention and Response | (617) 495-9100 |
| Harvard University Emergency Communication | (617) 496-6397 |
| GSD Security Services | (617) 874-6954 |
| GSD Facilities and Campus Operations | (617) 495-2514 |
| University Operations Center | (617) 495-5560 |
| Environmental Health and Safety | (617) 495-5560 |
Notification of an Emergency
The Harvard University Police Department is in regular, coordinated contact with city, state, and federal authorities, and will notify the campus community should there be cause for concern. In the event of an actual emergency, the campus community will be notified through a variety of mechanisms listed below:
- Harvard homepage (broadcast alert) and GSD website
- Global email to all students, faculty and staff
- Harvard’s “special conditions” line: (617) 496-NEWS (6397)
- Harvard MessageMe
These emergencies include, but are not limited to: inclement weather, power outages, fire, chemical spills, national and local disasters. During non-business hours, if you have reason to believe there is a problem and you cannot access the GSD via telephone, email or the web, do not come in until communication has been reestablished.
In the event of an emergency, the GSD Local Emergency Management Team will be in contact with the Harvard University Incident Team (composed of the Chief of Police, Director of Health Services, Harvard News Office and Facilities and Environmental Safety), as well as the Harvard President’s Core Management Team.
Emergency Procedures
If you discover a fire, smoke, explosion, toxic vapors or a chemical spill:
- Find the nearest Pullbox station and activate the alarm by pulling the lever. Alert a security guard if there is time.
- Call (617) 495-1212 to notify the Harvard University Police and tell them the location of the emergency.
Pullboxes are located on each ground level floor by the stairwell exits, by every external exit door in Piper Auditorium, and by each set of fire doors. At least one alarm signaling device is located on each building floor, this includes both visual and/or audible alarms. Do not attempt to extinguish a fire, unless you have been trained to use an extinguisher.
Evacuation Procedures
If an alarm sounds or an announcement is made:
Proceed to the nearest stairwell or doorway and WALK to the nearest exit. Close doors as you proceed (remember to take your wallet and keys with you). Make sure that people around you are also leaving. Prior to an emergency, identify personnel that need assistance leaving the building. Notify the University Operations Center (617) 495-5560 of their location in the building. During an evacuation, assist disabled persons to areas of refuge where they can wait for emergency personnel to evacuate them from the building. Do not attempt to carry the person out. Stay away from the building!
Meeting Sites
Gund Hall occupants go to Gund Garden across from 7 Sumner Rd. 7 Sumner Road occupants go to Brick terrace at rear of Gund Hall. 20 Sumner Road, 40 Kirkland and 42 Kirkland occupants go to the odd side of Sumner Road. Wait for the all clear announcement before re-entering the building.
Download the Gund Hall Emergency Procedures
Room Reservations
Current GSD Staff, Faculty, Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, and Students can request space online via SERT (Schedule Events, Rooms, and Technology).
Requests are only available for the current academic term. SERT is offline in between terms while the permanent course schedule is being finalized. If you need assistance while SERT is offline, contact [email protected].
Teaching Assistants will gain access to SERT once they have completed the hiring process with the Academic Programs Business Office and taken the required training course.
For instructions on how to plan a public event at the GSD, see event planning instructions for faculty and staff or event planning instructions for students.
Room Usage Policy
In recent years, the GSD has seen rapid growth in population with little increase in square footage. Due to this space limitation, the GSD community has to adhere to ground rules surrounding room usage in order to lead to the overall best use of this important resource. In order to guarantee that the school represents itself with a unified message, GSD Building Services enforces the following:
Any GSD affiliate is allowed to use GSD rooms. Rooms must be officially reserved via the online portal SERT.
Academic courses, studio reviews, and official public events are the first priority for room usage.
Courses do not end until 6 pm, therefore evening events must adhere to a start time of 6:30 pm or later to ensure an audience and resources to be available.
Only one public event can be scheduled on any given time. Any proposed events in conflict will be denied. Check availability on the GSD Events page.
Non-Academic requests in rooms that require furniture setup (Stubbins (112), Porticos, and Piper) or large-scale events with food, will incur custodial charges when booking the space. Please see the GSD Custodial Policy for details.
Last-minute shifts in room allocations can happen at any time due to a decision on best use by the administration. This means that all room allocations are subject to change at any time. (Every effort will be used to avoid this with high-profile events.)
Other amenities:
Lactation Room (422)
Located in 4th Floor South. If you are interested in utilizing this space, please contact Student Affairs, GSD Human Resources, or Faculty Affairs for assistance.
Interfaith Meditation & Prayer Room (423)
Located in 4th Floor South. This space is available on a first come, first serve basis.
Tips
There is a high volume of studio reviews on Tuesdays-Thursdays 1 pm-6 pm, and some are scheduled without advance notice. Avoid requesting rooms, specifically first-floor rooms, during this time to avoid changes to your reservation.
When Event Planning, consult the academic calendar to look for downtime in academic demands, such as weekends, school breaks, and studio travel weeks when more rooms are available.
In general, the more rooms you require, the higher the chances are that one or more of those rooms will be changed at the last minute due to high demand. We suggest for large conferences limit your use of Gund Hall rooms and look for other locations for meals or other segments of the event that could have equal success off-site.
If requiring a room on the first floor of Gund, custodial charges do not apply to lecture-style spaces, such as 109 or 111, which are ideal for large lectures, or to 124 (currently set up in large seminar style). 516 is another ideal space for larger lectures in Gund, and 485 Broadway 222 can hold a 49-person max lecture-style event.
During busy academic periods, consider moving event meals and receptions off-site, as we do not have a dedicated catering space.
GSD Mail Policy
GSD Mail Center
The Mail Center is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It is closed on Wednesdays. The Mail Center is a resoure for GSD Facutly and Staff for official University business. The Mail Center does not accept personal packages or student adressed items.Delivery Days
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 1033 Mass. Ave deliveries at 3:30 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays only Please note these are target times that fluctuate due to the volume of deliveries on a given day.Graduate School of Design Mail Center Guide
Please follow these guidelines for the best efficiency. If you have questions on these guidelines or any other mailing matters, please feel free to call the Mail Center for further information. We are happy to help! Facilities Operations Coordinator: Barry Harper ([email protected])Within Harvard
GSD Interoffice Mail
GSD Interoffice Mail comprises all routine pickup and delivery of department-to-department correspondence within the GSD. It also includes the delivery of incoming, and pickup for the posting of, outgoing mail. To ensure prompt delivery, place “G” for Gund and “S” for 7 Sumner Road in front of the room number.1033 Mass Ave delivery
On occasion, The Office of the Dean, Financial Services, or Human Resources will require a special trip to Central Payroll at 1033 Mass Ave. If you have something to add to the run, call the Mail Center that morning to make arrangements. We cannot deliver large packages. Delivery time is 3:30pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.University Mail
University Mail services are provided for mailings to all buildings within the university. Mail cannot be delivered to dormitories or students. These must be sent via USPS mail. Packages over 5 lbs. will require a special pickup arranged with HUMS.United States Postal Service (USPS)
Most outgoing mail is done through this service. The pick-up time for USPS is between 3:30 and 5:00. All mail, unless otherwise marked, is sent First Class. Services include:- First Class Mail: Note that mail is now shape based instead of just the weight. A letter sent in landscape format will cost less than an envelope sent vertically.
- USPS Ground Advantage: Used for larger boxes or any inflexible item. Items with a stiff binding, etc. fall into this category.
- Post Cards: Size restriction is size no more than 4 ½ by 6 inches and not smaller than 3 ½ by 5.
- Media Mail: Used for items containing solely printed matter such as books, newspapers, catalogs, and the like. Please, note that Media Mail is domestic shipments only.
- Priority Mail: Used for pieces that need to be delivered expeditiously but not necessarily overnight.
- Express Mail: Used for any overnight pieces that need to have a tracking number associated with them. It is synonymous with FedEx overnight.
- International Mail: Always sent First Class. Postcards, letters, and large envelopes (or flats) must be rectangular, otherwise, an additional charge may apply. Additional size restrictions apply depending on the type of mail piece you’re sending. Any item 2 lbs. or over will be sent at international package rates. There is no international media mail.