below is a written account of my experience through the architecture building, gund hall.

upon entering the school either from quincy or cambridge street, you are met with a large exhibition space. the white walls have paper projects on them (computer drawings, photo-montages, photographs, measured drawings) while small, white, moveable installations throughout the space have models on them. there are entrances into the library, auditorium, and studios from this space.
additional things i noticed in the space were:
- the directory on the wall so that one may know which floor to go to;
- a desk in the middle with a student "on duty" that can help direct you and provide you with some information about upcoming events in the school;
- the space is relatively high (i'd say about 10'-0") and the doors go all the way to the ceiling - probably to be able to get large projects through them;
- the only natural light you get into that space is from the two sets of 6 glass doors that lead you into the school - one facing south and the other facing west.

  
the library is on two floors - the ground floor and basement, with the area in the basement being approximately 4 times that of the upper area. on the ground floor there is the check-out counter, a lounge-type seating area where the periodicals are located, computer terminals, and large tables along the west facade that seat 4 - 6 people. this is the only area in the library that has windows. down the steps is where one can find the individual seating areas, all the book stacks/shelves, as well as the photocopy area. the archives are located there as well.
the auditorium is the least fascinating space, in my opinion. it is stepped, has moveable chairs, and has a large projection screen. nothing in that space really caught my attention.		    
to get to the studios, you enter into a smaller exhibition area from the main exhibition space, which is located at the base of the studios. in other words, if you are in the lowest studio, you overlook this smaller exhibition area. this building, known as gund hall, was designed by the australian architect john andrews and completed in 1972. the studios have been grouped into one continuous glazed hall, which brings all design students together in a shared studio experience. they are stepped to separate the different years of study, but each studio overlooks the previous one. this, in my opinion, makes things much more informal and less intimidating. also, something i noticed was that it was not as noisy as one would expect.... all stations are equipped with a computer, drafting table, and a reference desk. as well, each studio has a cutting board and light table.  

interview with two second year students attending the harvard graduate school of design