With a mission to educate students of religion for intellectual leadership, professional service, and ministry, Harvard Divinity School is the first nonsectarian theological institution in the United States. Standing at the center of academic and administrative life of the Divinity School, Swartz Hall was constructed in 1911 and is Harvard University’s only Collegiate Gothic structure. As part of this major renovation, the first since the building’s completion, ABA designed an architectural environment reflective of the school’s multireligious community and the many faith traditions practiced by students, staff, and faculty. In addition to preserving the historical character of an existing chapel, an inclusive multifaith space and adjacent room for ritual cleansing by Muslims before daily prayers were created from former library stack space on the second floor.

ABA’s design replaced a previous addition with a two-story, 13,000-square-foot expansion that includes a dining commons with café and lounge on the first floor. At the center of the commons stands a fireplace built of granite repurposed from the original building, reflecting one of the project’s sustainability goals — diverting. The second floor of the new addition features a 200-seat multipurpose space and new classrooms with fully integrated technology, including projectors, monitors, cameras, touch-panel control systems, microphones, chargers, and assisted-listening systems. With a completely glass facade, the addition dissolves the separation between interior and exterior, allowing in ample daylight and visually opening the multipurpose room to a renewed campus green and views to the century-old building. A new terrace and gas fireplace with a surround of granite quarried in Deer Isle, Maine, functions as a front porch while adding new outdoor gathering space to the campus.

Access was a key element of the renewal project, with a goal of ensuring all visitors to Swartz Hall feel welcome. The new, accessible entrance leads from the green into the new commons, where visitors can enjoy the new café, a double-sided fireplace, and meeting areas. A glazed ramp in the original chapel provides access for visitors of all abilities.

ABA completed extensive preservation work in the historic building, and improvements to mechanical systems and building envelope — including replacement of the original Vermont slate roof — will significantly reduce energy consumption, in alignment with Harvard University’s Sustainability Principles. Targeting LEED Gold or higher and designed to achieve 38% annual energy savings compared to ASHRAE 90.12010 Baseline Design, the building was completely rehabilitated, internally insulated, and retrofitted with new high-performance windows. The design team worked with the university’s Green Building Services to ensure the project meets the standards set for a Living Building Challenge Materials Petal. Pollutants and unnecessary waste were eliminated, with healthy materials, from carpeting and paint to the furniture, employed throughout construction. At the center of the new commons stands a fireplace built of granite repurposed from the original building, reflecting the team’s sustainability goals — diverting at least 75% of construction and demolition waste from landfills. The landscape design includes the planting of more than 50 new trees, shrubs, and plantings.

Recognized with a 2021 AN Best of Design Award for Building Renovation, the rejuvenated Swartz Hall creates a new campus gateway and center of academic, social, and spiritual life for the Divinity School, building connections with the Harvard campus and surrounding neighborhood.