Public Discourse
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HDM Digital
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Inside the Dream Factory: GSD Students Design for Opera
Elena Manferdini, founder of the California-based architecture studio Atelier Manferdini , was initially surprised when she was invited to collaborate with the Rome Opera House. A design critic in architecture at the GSD, Manferdini had little background in the art form. Yet, she was contacted by Paolo Cairoli, director of Calibano, the magazine of the […]
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A GSD Conference Charts the Future of Landscape Architecture in Asia
Khao Yai Art Forest is a spectacular 120-acre site several hours northeast of Bangkok. Opened in 2025, it offers visitors singular opportunities for aesthetic contemplation, with works by renowned artists including Louise Bourgeois, Richard Long, and Fujiko Nakaya set within a lush, mountainous landscape. For Marisa Chearavanont, who initiated the project, the Art Forest is […]
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HDM Digital
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How a Design School Designs a Website
Visitors to the new website that the Harvard Graduate School of Design launched at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year likely noticed first its updated look, which aligns the GSD’s digital presence with a visual identity released a year earlier. With further exploration, however, they would discover a more fundamental shift. The new site […]
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HDM Digital
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What Might Become of Detroit’s Vacant Public Schools?
In 1561, one thousand years after the Diocletian bathhouse fell into ruin under the Roman Empire, the pope directed Michelangelo to reinvent the building as a church—an early example, says Graduate School of Design (GSD) design critic in architecture Angelo Lunati, of the power of transformation. The Santa Maria degli Angeli is the earliest example of a […]
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HDM Digital
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How Three Alumni Built a Go-to Firm with Hong Kong Roots and Global Reach
The three principals of COLLECTIVE, a Hong Kong–based firm with global reach, first met at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
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An Interview with Katherine Spies: Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumna, NASA Astronaut Candidate
Astronaut candidate Katherine Spies talks about lessons from her time at Harvard that inform her work at NASA.
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How Stacey Berman Builds Worlds On Stage and Screen
Stacey Berman had been working as a costume designer for films when Covid struck. While the industry hit an enforced pause, her partner suggested that she read the Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping (2002), edited by Rem Koolhaas. Intrigued by the multidisciplinary research, she decided to apply to the Harvard Graduate School of Design […]
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From Albemarle to Allston Yards: Ellie Sheild Bridges Planning and Real Estate
Ellie Sheild, Harvard Graduate School of Design alumna, bridges the worlds of urban planning and real estate development.
EVENTS
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Open House Lecture
Bill McKibben “A Fresh Start for Our Cities”
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Jaqueline Tyrwhitt Urban Design Lecture
Deborah N. Archer “Transportation, Infrastructure, and Race in American Cities”
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Senior Loeb Scholar Lecture
Nancy Fraser “Against the Environmentalism of the Rich”
EXHIBITIONS
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Podcasts
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Talking Practice
Sheila O’Donnell
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Sheila O’Donnell , architect, educator and co-founder of O’Donnell + Tuomey . Sheila reflects on the creation of O’Donnell + Tuomey, the practice she formed with John Tuomey in 1988. She traces the evolution of her practice through the workings of Group 91 and shares her insights […]
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Talking Practice
Pier Vittorio Aureli
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Pier Vittorio Aureli, architect, educator, and co-founder of Dogma , an architecture and research-based practice in Brussels. Pier Vittorio reveals early beginnings of Dogma, which started as an academic comradery and became a professional cooperation. He expands on the reception and interpretation of his work and writing, including the […]
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Design Now
Episode 5: The future of library design
In this episode of Design Now, we discuss designing libraries for a world in which books are often accessed remotely and knowledge sought via search engines rather than librarians. Francine Houben, John Ronan, and Joshua Ramus have all built acclaimed libraries—including the New York Public Library, the Independence Library and Apartments in Chicago, and the […]
