The Rice Design Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of architecture, urban design, and the built environment in the Houston region.
Don’t miss the upcoming exhibition of ten years of winning projects from the Initiatives for Houston grant program. The exhibition will run January 14 – February 26, 2010 at the Architecture Center Houston (ArCH). The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 6 – 8 p.m. at ArCH.
From September 3 – October 30, an exhibition of 66 selected entries to the competition was held at the Architecture Center Houston. Local builders and Community Development Corporations were encouraged to view the selected designs, and exchange contact information with the architects and designers responsible for the projects and ideas showcased.
Thomas M. Colbert (Initiatives for Houston winner, 2006), Associate Professor at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, received a grant for his proposal, Documentation and Analysis of Prison Architecture In and Around Houston.
The Rice Design Alliance (RDA), in collaboration with Lawndale Art Center, invited Houston design professionals to Snapshot: Houston Design on View 2007. This open-call exhibition ran at Lawndale from May 18 to June 16 and provided an opportunity for the public to view the wide variety of projects in Houston. This is the fifth architecture exhibition co-sponsored by RDA and Lawndale Art Center.
Donna Kacmar (Initiatives for Houston winner, 2006) and her team of students visited more than 25 taco stands, burger joints, and beer houses to research these unique establishments. The culmination of their findings was viewed at the University of Houston College of Architecture on Dec 6. The reception included a taco truck parked outside the building and ice cold beer inside.
Donna Kacmar, Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, received a grant of $3,000 for her proposal, “Accommodation in Houston: beer, burgers, and barbacoa.” Kacmar observed that Houston typically looks sparsely inhabited and unwelcoming when viewed from too far a distance. However, up close, the city offers hospitality to its citizens and guests through unique urban ritual sites. Kacmar studied Houston’s version of public accommodation through several non-traditional ritual sites – such as ice houses, burger joints, and taco stands – that are specific to Houston.
