Home on the Yard emerged from an admiration for the vibrant residential communities surrounding Harvard University. When envisioning a city, it is easy to focus solely on its landmarks. While the historic brick structures of Harvard Yard are undeniably iconic, it is the modest homes of Cambridge and Somerville—the duplexes and triple-deckers—that form the true fabric of this community. Without these dwellings, the densely populated character of this region would not exist.

This proposal for Harvard Yard celebrates the everyday built environment that our team calls home by introducing vinyl siding—a material often dismissed as mundane—into a setting traditionally associated with formality and ceremony. As one of the most ubiquitous exterior cladding systems for homes in the Northeast, vinyl siding is typically experienced as an unremarkable backdrop. Yet, this installation seeks to reveal its latent qualities: its fabric-like flexibility, its soft translucency, and its capacity to reflect and diffuse light.

By placing this material within the symbolic context of the Yard, the project challenges conventional hierarchies of architectural visibility and value. In this inversion, the institutional architecture recedes into the background, allowing comfort, familiarity, and the beauty of the everyday to take center stage. Passersby are invited to engage with the installation as they would a familiar threshold—stepping through a gateway that echoes the entrance to their own homes, and gathering around a shared table designed to welcome all members of the community.