Reed and Burnham Halls

Reed and Burnham provides welcoming spaces for student support, including a help desk and concierge services. A comfortable lounge serves as a nucleus of activity, flanked by student support offices and flexible workspaces for club activities, commuter students, and collaborative projects. Second floor offices accommodate senior leadership, some of whom were located on the University’s two other campuses, in suites for administrative services. The design reveals the historic truss systems, arched openings, and other architectural elements long hidden by drab hung ceilings. A conference room carved into a bay over the main entrance presides over a dramatic view of the quadrangle below.

The restoration of the building’s exterior – clad with sandstone, brick, and Roxbury puddingstone – was exacting. Designed in close cooperation with the Cambridge Historical Commission, it provided universal accessibility with a new ramp and walkway integrated into an existing arcade, replicated and reinforced chimneys, repointed masonry walls and reset their capstones, replaced all windows with energy efficient glazing and mullions that match the originals, and fully insulated the interior and roof. Basement water infiltration is controlled with a new stormwater management system that diverts rainwater away from the foundations.