McKinlock Hall is the second House to undergo renovation as part of House Renewal project at Harvard University. The House Renewal project consists of the renovation of the twelve undergraduate dormitories. It began in 2007 and is anticipated to take over 15 years. The purpose of this renovation is to upgrade the facility to meet current code, accessibility, and sustainability standards with the goal of allowing it to meet the needs of the university for the coming 75 years.

The project team took a close look at the sustainable measures implemented as part of the Stone Hall project (the first project as part of House Renewal) and adopted several strategies including rainwater collection to supplement irrigation; efficient wall and roof insulation; and replacing single-paned windows with double-paned. In addition, the project built upon those strategies implemented in Stone Hall and created an estimated 10% more efficient building.