Rice School of Architecture

?? Call for Submissions: PLAT 14 ?? PLAT 14 seeks ideas for investigating resolutions in architecture. As architecture’s boundaries dissolve into adjacent disciplines, new forms emerge at their intersections. Design operates as both a method and a medium—sharpening, obscuring, or reconfiguring architecture’s edges. But in a discipline of approximations, where do we land? Resolution: a firm decision, a problem solved, or the state between clarity and ambiguity. From physical models to Instagram posts, how do shifts in medium shape the image of architecture—and the architecture of the image? PLAT welcomes submissions from students, architects, designers, and non-traditional voices. Textual essays, photo essays, design projects, and experimental formats are all encouraged. ?? Submit a 250-word abstract to [email protected] by March 28, 2025. More details at the link in bio. #PLATJournal #CallForSubmissions #ArchitectureDiscourse #ArchitecturalResolution #DesignThinking

Fiber Futures: How Plant-Based Materials Can Reduce Architecture’s Carbon Footprint Join us for Fiber Futures on March 7, 2025, a hands-on symposium at Rice Architecture, where global innovators in sustainable construction will share cutting-edge ideas for lowering embodied carbon. Learn how these new materials can shape the future of design, right here in Houston. Together, let’s build a post-carbon world! ??? Fiber Futures is generously sponsored by the Rice Sustainability Institute Conference and Workshop Development Award, with additional support from the Rice School of Architecture Public Programs, and the Center for Environmental Studies. #RiceArchitecture?#SustainableDesign?#PlantBasedMaterials?#FiberFutures?#LowCarbonArchitecture?#DecarbonizeHouston?#FutureOfArchitecture?#GreenBuilding?#CarbonSink?#ArchitectureAndSustainability?#EmbodiedCarbon Rice Sustainability Institute Rice University BLAF architecten F?rstberg Ling Jesús Vassallo Brett Schneider

Join us on March 3, 2025, at 5:00pm in Farish Gallery, MD Anderson Hall, for a lecture by Estudio Macías Peredo, titled "El papel de los proyectos" (The Paper of Projects). Founded by Salvador Macías Corona and Magui Peredo Arenas in Guadalajara, Mexico, Estudio Macías Peredo is a practice deeply engaged with both architecture and pedagogy. The firm’s work reflects a rich understanding of place and materiality, blending contemporary design with local traditions. In 2019, Diego Quirarte Contreras joined as a partner, enriching their collaborative approach. Estudio Macías Peredo’s projects have been showcased at renowned institutions like Columbia University and the University of Washington, and they have exhibited at the Pan-American Biennial of Architecture in Quito and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Their honors include the 2014 Emerging Voices prize from the Architectural League of New York and recognition as finalists for the 2018 MCHAP at IIT Chicago. Their work is also featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Their architectural philosophy is captured in their 2017 monograph, To Still the Noise (Arquine), and the firm co-curates Jardín 17, an exhibition space at Casa Estudio Luis Barragán in Mexico City. This lecture is made possible through the generous support of the Betty R. and George F. Pierce Jr., FAIA, Fund; the William B. Coleman Jr. Colloquium Fund for Architecture; and the Wm. W. Caudill Lecture Series Fund. #RiceArchitecture #Lecture #EstudioMacíasPeredo #Architecture #Design #ArchitectureLecture #RiceUniversity

How do neighborhoods evolve over time? In ARCH 401 (Advanced Topics I – Environment), students engage with the urban fabric at the scale of the neighborhood, exploring environmental and social frameworks for long-term reconstruction and growth. Led by Gus Sessions Wortham Professor Albert Pope (?? 1–5) and Associate Professor Christopher Hight (?? 6–10), this studio challenges students to map futures beyond the immediate horizon. #RiceArchitecture #UrbanFutures #ArchitecturalDiscourse

(dis)assemblies: A New Exhibition at the Rice School of Architecture ?? February 28, 2025 ?? 5:00 PM ?? Casbarian-Appel and Hines Family Galleries, William T. Cannady Hall, Rice School of Architecture Explore the transformative exhibition disassemblies, curated by Tania Tovar Torres and Zhicheng Xu, which delves into the intersection of environmental, social, gender, and other-than-human justice in architectural practice. This exhibition reimagines architecture as a process rather than a product, inviting visitors to engage with the act of "dismantling"—disentangling complex systems and assumptions that shape contemporary practice. Through material experimentation and alternative techniques, the works featured in disassemblies challenge established methodologies and institutional hierarchies, offering new possibilities for architectural production and teaching. Central to this exploration is a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and accountability, encouraging us to reconsider entrenched assumptions and envision more equitable ways of making. Don’t miss the chance to engage with these innovative projects developed by Rice School of Architecture students as part of the 2023–24 Watkin Sequence. disassemblies runs alongside a range of exciting new possibilities for architectural practice and education. ??? Come experience this thought-provoking exhibition and stay engaged with its themes during its run at the Rice School of Architecture.

Invisible City: A Lecture by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu LOCATION UPDATE ?? February 19, 2025 ?? 7:00 PM ?? Farish Gallery, MD Anderson Hall, Rice School of Architecture Join us for an evening with Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, cofounders of Amateur Architecture Studio, as they delve into the intersection of tradition and modernity in contemporary Chinese architecture. This lecture, Invisible City, explores how large-scale urban design in China can honor the small, everyday spaces essential to daily life. Through recent projects, Wang and Lu reveal how enhancing small-scale infrastructure—while preserving the traditional forms of rural architecture—can foster sustainable lifestyles and harmonize urban and rural environments. Wang Shu, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, and Lu Wenyu, a trailblazer in sustainable design, have earned global acclaim for their transformative work. Together, their projects, including the Ningbo Historic Museum and the Xiangshan Central Campus of the China Academy of Art, exemplify a deep respect for Chinese heritage, earning recognition from institutions such as the French Academy of Architecture and Time magazine. This event is generously supported by the Betty R. and George F. Pierce Jr., FAIA, Fund, the William B. Coleman Jr. Colloquium Fund for Architecture, and the Wm. W. Caudill Lecture Series Fund. ?? Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from two of architecture’s most visionary voices.

????? Big news! clovisbaronian—the practice co-led by Rice School of Architecture Assistant Professor Georgina Baronian—is a finalist in the international Concéntrico competition for an "Urban Climate Island" in Logro?o, Spain! ???? Their proposal, A Stone on the Water’s Edge, designed with TRANSSOLAR New York, rethinks cooling strategies with material intelligence over mechanical systems. A thermal battery in disguise, the pavilion passively cools its surroundings with site-cast recycled concrete and operable vents that adapt to shifting temperatures. This innovative approach to climate-responsive design is one of just four finalists, selected from 252 submissions across 48 countries. Read more about this global conversation in sustainable urban design Here: https://zurl.co/5LXz9 #RiceSchoolofArchitecture #clovisbaronian #Concéntrico #ClimateDesign #UrbanInnovation #SustainableArchitecture

In a story about a new exhibition at the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union, world-architecture.com cites research by our Dean. “The AA Folios were circulated around the world,” writes Igor Marjanovic in the catalog to?Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association, the 2015 exhibition he curated, “further promoting the AA's global presence while at the same time transforming exhibition contents into peripatetic commodities of intellectual and creative exchange.” Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g-UVYeiy

Material Cultures has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Spotlight Award! This prestigious honor recognizes emerging voices in architecture and design whose work demonstrates exceptional design excellence and innovation. Led by Summer Islam, Paloma Gormley, and George Massoud, Material Cultures is a London-based design and research organization working at the intersection of natural materials, low-carbon construction, and building technology. Their practice challenges conventional construction methods, advocating for a reintegration of architecture and agriculture—an approach that positions buildings within broader landscapes of material extraction and ecological impact. Through built projects, design research, and educational platforms exploring traditional materials like clay and straw, Material Cultures reimagines how we think, make, and build—offering a compelling alternative to carbon-intensive, socially destructive materials. “The work of Material Cultures reminds us that architecture is not just about buildings but about the broader systems that sustain life. Their commitment to rethinking materials and methods aligns deeply with our school’s mission to elevate planetary awareness and advance architectural discourse,” said Igor Marjanovi?, William Ward Watkin Dean of the Rice School of Architecture. Please join us in celebrating Material Cultures and their transformative approach to the future of architecture! #SpotlightAward #MaterialCultures #Architecture #DesignInnovation #RiceSchoolofArchitecture

We invite you to join us for our Spring 2025 Public Programs. From internationally acclaimed practitioners to groundbreaking research, each event promises to inspire and challenge. Highlights include: ?? Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, Pritzker Prize-winning architects, delivering the Cullinan Lecture at The River Oaks Theatre ?? 2025 Spotlight Award Winner Material Cultures, exploring sustainable design futures at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ?? The (dis)assemblies exhibition, curated by Wortham Fellows Tania Tovar Torres and Zhicheng Xu, examining deconstruction and reuse in architecture ?? Fiber Futures, a sustainable design symposium organized by Jesús Vassallo and Brett Schneider ?? Art in Context: Art, Architecture and the Middle Landscape, a symposium organized by Troy Schaum in partnership with Chinati Foundation, held in Marfa, Texas. All events are open to the public—with AIA continuing education credit available. Join us in Farish Gallery at Rice University (unless otherwise noted) and be part of the conversation. ?? View the full calendar at arch.rice.edu/events. Animation design: Experimental Jetset #RiceArchitecture #ArchitecturalDiscourse #PublicPrograms #DesignLeadership