The newest and largest research facility in Rice University’s historic core campus — the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science is now open.
The 23,000 square metre O’Connor Building provides students and researchers with technology-rich facilities that align with the university’s goal to stay at the forefront of scientific discovery and to recruit the country’s best scientific and engineering minds.
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, the O’Connor Building looks to elevate the American university’s ranking amongst the nation’s top 20 universities.
The new high-performance facility includes state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, offices, a cafe, as well as many interactive gathering spaces.
A multi-purpose event space with an outdoor terrace sits at the top level with views of the campus and the Houston skyline.
SOM Design Principal Javier Arizmendi said: “We looked beyond the boundaries of the building to transform a core location on this important, historic campus.
Image courtesy of Dave Burk
“The design strikes a balance of historic 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 design activates the adjacent Engineering Quad and extends the vitality of campus into the building, where a five-storey central atrium creates a hub of activity, connecting to seminar rooms, break areas, and informal gathering spaces.
A transparent glass facade at the atrium’s ground level showcases this activity to the campus at large.
At the building’s main entrance, a cantilevered sculptural stair is framed by brick walls and a fritted glass wall.
The O’Connor Building was designed by SOM with a deliberate focus on fostering collaboration in four key research areas: advanced materials, quantum science and computing, urban research and innovation, and the energy transition.
Maintaining the identifiable aesthetics of the historic campus, the facade of the O’Connor Building features a composition of brick and punched windows articulated by a series of angled brick pilasters and fins.
A commitment to sustainability and reducing the building carbon footprint was achieved through both passive and active design strategies, including maximizing daylight, strategic placement of angled pilasters and vertical fins, and the use of skylights to soften the strong Texas sun.
These passive design strategies and an energy efficient HVAC and lighting system ensures that the laboratories use 50 per cent less energy than a comparable research space.
Designed by SOM, the O’Connor Building project team includes: Anslow Bryant Construction LTD; IMEG Corp.; Scientia Architects; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; Walter P. Moore; OJB Landscape Architecture; Salter; Ulrich Diederich Design; Wylie; Edgett Williams Consulting Group; Loisos + Ubbelohde; Stanton Engineering Group, LLC; Ulrich Engineers, Inc.; and AEI
