Renovated River Dining Halls Open

Glistening granite counter tops, sleek serving islands, and a more eco-friendly kitchen greeted elated Mather and Dunster residents last night when they returned for their Houses’ first meals of the school year.

The summer changes in Mather and Dunster mark the last in a multi-year series of House dining hall renovations, and were the first to be done completely in line with the latest energy-efficient technology.

“To do this level of work within 10-and-one-half weeks is much harder than people realize,” said Bob Leandro, HUDS director for facilities and physical plant. “The week after Commencement, the dining hall areas looked like a cave.”

The renovation of the kitchen—which Mather and Dunster share—included removing heavy equipment and installing new hanging pipes, mechanical systems, plumbing, mill work, wall and floor tiles, and modern equipment.

Both Mather and Dunster received more spacious serving areas, similar to that of Quincy House, with islands and more walking room.

“The functionality is really heightened,” said HUDS communication director Jamie Snyder. “Now people can get to food at all angles.”

The renovations were motivated by aesthetic as well as functional concerns. The serving areas were entirely redesigned in the style of the Houses—Mather’s retains the feel of modern architecture while Dunster’s was designed to “look like someone’s mansion down in Newport, R.I.,” Snyder said.

The renovation of Mather also included separating the beverage area from the hot food to decrease congestion, according to Snyder, and the creation of a new brain break area with access to drinks and snacks at all times.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences footed the bill for the installation of new carpeting, tables, and chairs in Mather’s dining area to complete the project.

To top off the luxury, each dining hall received custom-made waffle irons that imprint Harvard’s Veritas crest on waffles.

The renovation team partnered with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) in the revamping of the two dining halls.

“This is the first time we did a project on a kitchen renovation,” said Nathan Gauthier, the program assistant for the High Performance Building program of HGCI. “We found a lot of opportunities that otherwise would not have been discovered. We influenced the design team with new elements that wouldn’t have been considered and have very little additional cost.”

Water conservation was taken into particular consideration in the renovation. The first two dual flush toilets on campus were purchased for use by employees in the new kitchen, and use 32.38 percent less water than code regulations.

Smaller sinks and more efficient dishwashers were installed, which will save water and thousands of dollars each year, as well as new smoke detectors and fans to reduce heating costs.

The kitchen’s new lighting system is 35 percent more efficient than energy codes require, and certificates for green power were purchased from a wind farm in Chicago, according to Gauthier.

Harvard purchases the second-greatest amount of renewable energy of any university or college in the nation.

Most of the debris from the construction was recycled or reused, with only 5 percent of the matter shipped to a landfill.

Functional kitchen equipment that HUDS no longer needed was donated to a Cambridge community center, a tsunami relief fund, and places in the Caribbean through a hired group called the Institution Recycling Network, according to Leandro.

Waste will continue to be recycled with the addition of a new Somat System garbage disposal, converting an estimated 240,000 tons of food and waste to compost each year.

The adhesives, paints, and carpeting in the new dining halls were also part of the sustainable renovation—the adhesives and paints had low levels of known carcinogens, and the carpet was made partially of recycled material.

“This project is a great success,” said Gauthier. “It’s aesthetically pleasing, more convenient, more user-friendly, HUDS benefits from lower utility bills, students will enjoy it, and it was neat to study the technology.”

“In this manner, projects will become easier, less expensive, more environmentally responsible, and provide a healthier indoor environment,” he said.

Some obstacles to the construction included a large pipe in the Mather serving area, water damage in the kitchen area, and a piece of granite that broke in the Mather pasta area.

Although minor changes in the two dining halls are still to come, Leandro said he is satisfied with the results.

And last night at dinner, even before tasting the emblazoned waffles, students were filled with praise for their new serving areas.

“It gives students a more enjoyable dining experience,” said Dunster resident Kelly J. Blondin ’07.

—Staff writer Jane V. Evans can be reached at jvevans@fas.harvard.edu.