by Allison Arieff, Sunset editor-at-large

When I was in college, dorms were nothing to write home about--architecturally anyway. But that's changed radically since universities began commissioning big name architects like Steven Holl for student housing. I just learned of this gorgeous graduate housing complex on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA, designed for Harvard University by architect Kyu Sung Woo..

The building is expected receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and its building systems are designed and engineered to minimize energy usage. Green-minded finishes include regionally-sourced siding with recycled content; renewable bamboo flooring and wall paneling, and low-VOC paints.

(Photos by © Timothy Hursley - The Arkansas Office)

Projects like this really disprove any notion that institutionalized architecture, whether dorms, schools or affordable housing, has to look, well, institutional! An elegant and well-conceived building like this almost makes me want to go back to school.