Designers and architects spend their time thinking about how to fit the form of a building to its function. So what happens when that function changes? 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...

Does America need a new vision of the ideal home? In episode four of "Design Now" podcast, we discuss the limitations of the single-family home as a model for the future of housing, and meet people who recognize the fundamental role of residential design in creating a more equitable and climate-resilient future. Among the issues on the table are the legacy of urban zoning, historic disparities in homeownership, and the financial systems that shaped residential neighborhoods. Looking to the...

What does a just society look like? Often, it’s not about the things you notice first. A housing project might be built with every care paid to the needs of its future residents, but its impact will be limited if it doesn’t also have good transportation links, or if it is sited downwind of a wastewater treatment facility and with no access to green space. In this episode of Design Now, we speak to people in and around Harvard’s Graduate School of Design who are thinking about social...

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all thinking more actively about the hygiene of the buildings we spend time in. At the Harvard Graduate School of Design, health has always been a mainstay of research, but the lines of enquiry may surprise those whose minds jump immediately to hand sanitizer and face masks. In this episode we’ll hear from researchers who are making discoveries in fields including: the impact of design on epidemics of noncommunicable diseases, such as heart...

In the inaugural episode of this Harvard GSD podcast we hear from people working in and around the school about the existential threat posed by climate change. Discover the surprising potential of irrigating agricultural land with sewage, and hear alternating perspectives on critical next steps: the imperative of food sovereignty, the need for self-sufficient cities, and “restoration ecology” schemes that begin right on Harvard’s doorstep.  Featuring: Seth Denizen, Martha Schwartz, Adriana...