q. this school was designed for the purpose of being a school of design. do you find the design to be appropriate for a design school? what do you like / dislike about the environment in which you learn?

a. the thing i don't like is the fact that there is no privacy in this school. although it is more conducive to learning and it makes things more informal because you can constantly see what your classmates are working on, or the rest of the school for that matter, one's sense of privacy is largely diminished. because of the stepped manner in which the studios were designed, someone is always looking over your shoulder and therefore it makes it difficult to get any privacy. there is also no real place to hang out and relax which is a double whammy... if there was a place to go to get away from it all, maybe [we] wouldn't dislike it as much.

q. i noticed there is a terrace off of every floor. don't those ever get used?

a. it does, but not as much as you would think. it's not the kind of place i mean when looking for privacy. it is used on nice days, but otherwise it seems like a pretty popular place for smokers. i think a big factor as far as why they don't get used much is because they don't face anything nice. There is no view and therefore no real reason to stay out there for more than 5 minutes.

q. i also noticed that everyone in the studio, no matter the year, has a computer. are they provided or does everyone need to supply their own?

a. you have to supply your own.

q. can i take that to mean that you are encouraged to work on the computer?

a. well, we aren't forced to use autocad or any other cad program, but we are certainly encouraged to do so. by the second year, you feel the need to get up to date and follow the ways of the school. Because you can see what all the other studios are doing, when you see them in third and fourth year on cad, you start to feel the pressure. there's also the image of the school....

q. can you elaborate on that?

a. well, we are at harvard and being at Harvard implies many things around the world. everyone has heard of the school - we have an image and we can't disappoint. we have to show that we're up to date with the newest technology, newest programs, etc....

q. i still see a lot of physical models. is that because you're in second year and trying to let go of (or hold onto) the tangible?

a. not really. Although we are encouraged to use computers for drafting and for final presentations, the professors encourage us at the same time to develop other skills - be it model-making or rendering by hand. conceptual sketches are still very popular in the upper years as well.

q. going back to the stepped nature of the school and the ability to look over one's shoulder and see what the rest of the school is doing, has that been beneficial as far as your learning is concerned?

a. definitely. the crits that go on in the school are very informal and therefore less intimidating because you tend to know what everyone is working on. also, because everyone works in the same space, [we] find that a lot more can be learned by just looking or listening; you not only get a feel for what your classmates are doing and the level they are at, but also the upper years, which may speed up the learning process in a way.

q. so then you could say this building has its ups and downs (no pun intended)?

a. i guess it's arguable whether this building is a good one or a bad one for its purpose. as far as learning environments go, it probably fulfills that criteria hands down, but as far as being a place where you could enjoy spending your time, things are left to be desired.

view of exterior terraces

view of studios

studios overlooking one another

an attempt at some privacy