99K House

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce that it is the winner of a 2012 AIA Collaborative Achievement Award for excellence in the categories of Research, Dissemination, and Education. RDA is one of two organizations to win the national award, which is given by the American Institute of Architects to recognize and encourage distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.

Compiling information for the award submission, which resulted in an impressive document detailing nearly 40 years of RDA’s programming and contributions to the Houston region, was itself an act of collaboration among board members and staff. “I am thrilled for RDA to win this National AIA award,” said past RDA President Kimberly Hickson who spearheaded the submission process. “When compiling the entry, I was in awe of the impact this organization has had on Houston and the surrounding community. The past is only a beginning to great things to come!”

The five-member jury included Kevin J. Flynn, FAIA, Chair Kiku Obata & Company, Saint Louis; James Logan Abell, FAIA, Abell & Associates Architects, Ltd., Tempe, Arizona; David Burney, FAIA, NYC Department of Design & Construction, Long Island City; Vergel Lee Gay Jr., AIA, Texas A & M, College Station, Texas; and Curtis J. Moody, FAIA, Moody Nolan, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. One member commented that RDA was “an excellent program that raises consciousness about architecture and urban design. It is certainly worthy of recognition and has won many awards since its inception in 1972.”

In addition to praise bestowed by the jury, Raymond Brochstein, former president of the custom millwork company Brochsteins noted “RDA has educated Houstonians about architects and architecture through lectures and tours, instigated and nurtured some landmark urban improvement projects, and made public and private decision makers aware that good design matters!”As RDA moves into its 40th year as an organization, it is now more than ever ready to embrace its values of educating, engaging, and impacting the Houston community around issues concerning the built environment—which the AIA award well recognizes.

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Click here to purchase tickets. For more information, please call the Rice Design Alliance, (713) 348-4876.

FURNISH Space / Context / Object, RDA’s inaugural 2012 lecture series, will explore progressive ideas, technologies, and cultural forces affecting furniture design as interpreted by a variety of innovative designers from around the world. Specifically, this exploration examines the impact on the overall creative design process by looking at factors such as advancements in materials, overarching cultural shifts, and the intricacies of the manufacturing process itself.

The public and RDA members are invited to hear the following speakers during the series:

Wednesday, January 18
Mike Simonian of Mike & Maaike, San Francisco

Wednesday, January 25
Kenneth Cobonpue, The Philippines

Wednesday, February 1
Jurgen Bey, Rotterdam

All lectures will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Brown Auditorium in The Museum of Fine Arts Caroline Wiess Law Building, each with a pre-lecture reception at 6:00 p.m. in the museum lobby. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is located at 1001 Bissonnet (enter via the Main Street door.) No guaranteed seating for ticket holders after 7:00 p.m. Additional parking is available until 7:00 p.m. for $6 in the museum garage located at the corner of Binz and Fannin Streets.

RDA will gladly make special accommodations for anyone needing assistance to attend a lecture. Please contact RDA directly, 713.348.4876. A minimum of two week’s notice is appreciated.

TICKET INFORMATION
Series Tickets:
$20 – RDA, MFAH members
$15 – Senior citizens 65 and older
$10 – Students with identification
$35 – Others

Single Tickets (upon availability):
$7 – RDA, MFAH members; Senior citizens 65 and older; Students with identification
$15 – Others

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Communograph Bus Tour: Architecture and Community with Stephen Fox
Exploring John Biggers’s principle of “Good and Relevant Architecture”
December 3, 2pm

This is part of the Communograph: Mapping Through Creative Action series.

Architecture and Community: Exploring John Biggers’s principle of “Good and Relevant Architecture” is an alternative bus tour, lead by local Architectural historian Stephen Fox.

LOCATION: Project Row Houses, 2521 Holman

ADMISSION: $10, RSVP required call 713.526.7662 or email Cheryl Flores to reserve your spot

Mapping Community Through Creative Action is a series of public programs presented by the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts (MC) and offered in conjunction with Communograph, an original project by artist Ashley Hunt commissioned by Project Row Houses (PRH).This series is curated by Bree Edwards (MC) and Ashley Clemmer Hoffman (PRH).

For more information, visit this link.

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