Harvard Kennedy School Pavilions

Samiotes provided a detailed existing conditions survey, master planning (with Sasaki), and design and permitting (with RAMSA) for the transformation of the Harvard Kennedy School campus. The project created new pavilions, a new building, and a raised courtyard while addressing significant structural and environmental challenges.

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Innovative Engineering for a Historic Campus
At the heart of the design was elevating a courtyard atop a historic MBTA concrete slab that could support only six feet of soil. To solve this, Samiotes proposed using the interstitial space beneath the courtyard for water storage, which weighs approximately half as much as soil per cubic foot. This strategy not only resolved the load limitation but also eliminated the need for more costly and less sustainable materials such as geofoam.

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The system includes a 150,000-gallon stormwater capture and reuse system that supplies non-potable water to campus irrigation and cooling towers. Since coming online, Harvard Kennedy School has not needed to draw any water from the City of Cambridge for these uses. Beyond reducing potable water demand, the system provides overflow protection during severe rain or flooding events, enhancing the site’s resilience.

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This project demonstrates how creative civil engineering can turn structural limitations into opportunities for environmental leadership, aligning with Harvard’s broader sustainability goals while advancing the Kennedy School’s mission of innovation and impact.