Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has completed a new engineering and science building for Rice University in Houston, Texas. Named the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, the 250,000-square-foot facility seeks to “provide students and researchers with technology-rich facilities that align with the University’s goal to stay at the forefront of scientific discovery.”

The new building contains laboratories, classrooms, offices, a cafe, and gathering spaces. At the top level, meanwhile, a multi-purpose event space contains an outdoor terrace set against the backdrop of the Houston skyline.

The building is anchored by a five-story central atrium, imagined by the team as “a hub of activity” connecting the wider facilities. A glazed facade at the ground level visually connects the building with the Engineering Quad outside, while a cantilevered sculptural stair is framed by brick walls and a fritted glass wall on the upper levels.

The atrium connects to a variety of double-height collaboration areas on different levels, while smaller conference rooms and break areas are clad in warm, natural materials to “provide further opportunities for informal learning and connection.” Throughout the building, meanwhile, an art program includes the bas-relief sculpture ‘Energy’ by sculptor William McVey, preserved from the campus’ original Abercrombie Engineering Building.

Outside, the building’s facade is composed of brick and punched windows articulated by a series of angled brick pilasters and fins. A covered arcade along the western edge is shaded by a brick and stone veil and composed of alternating bands of brick and cast-stone modules that are spaced to allow light to filter through.

“We looked beyond the boundaries of the building to transform a core location on this important, historic campus,” said SOM Design Principal Javier Arizmendi about the scheme. “The design strikes a balance of historical and contemporary materials, leverages existing circulation pathways, and creates an energetic hub of social and scientific activity for the next generation of scholars and innovators.”

The building is one of several recently completed campus projects to feature in our editorial. Last month, we covered the renovation of a Louis Kahn building on the Graduate Theological Union campus in Berkeley, California, while in October, REX opened the Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University. 

Also in October, we covered a new health science building at the University of Washington wrapped in a textural, reflective facade, while in September, DIALOG and Smoke Architecture completed an Ontario college building inspired by Indigenous principles.