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Rice University Campus Developments


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"The demolition of the old Sid Richardson College building was not completed in October as originally planned due to weather conditions, bees in the demolition site and other complications, according to Faith Neyra, a communications specialist in the office of finance and administration.

Neyra said the date of completion has been pushed back to Nov. 10.

“The site will continue to be active through December 1 to finish debris haul-off and material recycling efforts,” Neyra wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Rice is planning to build two new residential colleges, one of which will sit in Old Sid’s footprint. Both will use reclaimed building materials from Old Sid, the Thresher previously reported."

https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2023/11/old-sid-demolition-delayed-due-to-bee-colony-and-weather

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https://sustainability.rice.edu/wilson-house-leed-silver

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The Wilson House is home to the masters of Wiess College and was dedicated to William L. Wilson, a longtime resident associate, on March 11, 2011. The 3,800-square-foot two-story house was built to be closer to Wiess College and to meet LEED Silver Standards. Green features include:

  • Long, broad windows spanning the wall that allow for maximum sunlight entrance throughout the day in order to minimize electricity use.
  • Air conditioning unit for a typical family but also connected to supplementary units that can be switched on during large events in order to be more energy-efficient.
  • Air conditioning unit to serve as a heat source for the house's water.
  • Double paneled windows engineered to let light in but keep heat out.
  • Trellises built over the southern courtyard to reduce heat.
  • Polished and waxed concrete spanning the entire first floor.
  • Energy star certified appliances.
  • Low volume toilets and a front loading washer and dryer to reduce water waste.
  • Drip irrigation system to efficiently water greenery by specifically targeting specific plants.
Edited by hindesky
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15 hours ago, hindesky said:

Old Sid Richardson college building is down except the slab.

Alumni Weekend (homecoming + reunion) was this weekend. I'd bet more than a few former residents of Old Sid experienced cognitive dissonance as they gazed upon that vacant slab.

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6 hours ago, mkultra25 said:

Alumni Weekend (homecoming + reunion) was this weekend. I'd bet more than a few former residents of Old Sid experienced cognitive dissonance as they gazed upon that vacant slab.

I was marginally taken aback driving up South Main a couple of weeks ago and saw the demolition underway.

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"AMONG THE CAMPUS BUILDINGS AT Rice University in Houston, Texas, one curious structure stands out. The first feature you’ll probably notice is that it’s made of reeds; but these are not just any reeds. They arrived inside a 40-foot shipping container, harvested and partly assembled by master artisans in the marshlands of southern Iraq, where structures like this one have been made for centuries. It’s called a mudhif, and for Iraq’s Marsh Arab ethnic minority, it’s a traditional village meetinghouse where disputes are settled and important gatherings are held. On November 5, Rice University’s mudhif will host a gathering like no other: a feast inspired by the cuisine of ancient Mesopotamia and informed by new archaeological findings from the region that the Marsh Arabs call home."

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-mesopotamian-dinner

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Willy's statue was removed from its central location in the academic quadrangle yesterday as part of the planned redesign of the quad. It was also announced on Monday that the quad will be closed to pedestrian traffic until April due to the construction to implement the redesign.

Academic Quad closed Nov. 6, redesign to be completed April 2024

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Old Sid Richardson College is gone. I talked with an Anslow Bryant worker who said they are going to keep the foundation till they start building, said they don't want to create a huge water filled pond. They will remove it when they are ready to start. He confirmed Henning Larsen is the architect, it will be two similar but slightly different 12 story buildings with the servery in the middle. They were in the process of removing the plywood covering the windows of the new Sid Richardson.

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On 11/11/2023 at 1:39 PM, hindesky said:

Academic Quad Redesign.

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Not a huge fan of the plans.  At least in the renders, I'm getting the impression that the new quad and the architecture of the surrounding buildings are somewhat at war with one another.  Very much in keeping with a lot of contemporary public space designs with their emphasis on curves and asymmetry, but I'm (1) not entirely convinced by the trend in general, and (2) I dont think it fits very well with the formal, linear, and symmetrical design of the buildings composing the quad.

All for a refresh, but I think a plan more in line (pardon the pun) with the gardens of the new Ismaili Center would have better complemented this space.

Edited by KirbyDriveKid
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On 11/11/2023 at 12:39 PM, hindesky said:

I truly cannot put into words how much I despise this plan for the quad. It looks like the Woodlands Church

Can't we just replace the statue and move on? That curved path is offensive

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2 hours ago, MrFubbles said:

I truly cannot put into words how much I despise this plan for the quad. It looks like the Woodlands Church

Can't we just replace the statue and move on? That curved path is offensive

Not a fan either. I guess I'll continue to not give money to Rice and give it schools with a smaller endowment and who do more to help the less advantaged students. 

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This quad redesign is truly awful. I hate it! Fubbles, I completely agree. The landscape in isolation is perfectly fine, but it runs counter to the style of the buildings on the rest of the campus. Actual architects, not just landscape architects, should have been consulted for this redesign. The quad needs straight lines and consistent plants not whatever this is. The previous landscaping was sad, but this was an opportunity to do something awesome and make the quad a centerpiece for the school. Now it not only doesn't do that but ruins the classical consistency that the school had. The landscaping that matches the school's buildings is formal gardens like those found outside of Italian villas with geometric and symmetrical hedges along with water features.

At least it can be changed more easily than a building can. 

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Wow not only is this plan an insult to the academic prowess and reputation of the university, it is a lazy excuse of modernization!

what would have been great is if Rice didn’t hire a NY firm to do the landscaping, but hire something super local and aware of the prestige associated with RU.

does rice have a bunch of money they are wasting? What is honestly wrong with the timeless formality of what they have in the MAIN QUAD! Is it not a testament to the great design of 1920 that many of us in the business of design prefer the original!?

God this is awful. 

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