RDA is pleased to announce its eleventh annual grants program for students and faculty of the Rice School of Architecture, the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, the College of Architecture at Prairie View A&M University, and the Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. RDA will make separate awards of up to $5,000 each to a student winner(s) and a faculty winner(s).

The Initiatives for Houston grants program focuses on Houston’s built environment, its history, present condition, and future development. A variety of regional projects will be considered, including historic research, speculative studies and projects, problem solving and planning projects, and studies that document the conditions of the city and its architecture. Proposals will be evaluated in terms of their potential for making a significant contribution to our understanding of the city and/or the region.

Projects must describe a dissemination component, which may be in the form of a paper or manuscript, exhibit, or a video or other presentation. In addition, the results of the project may be presented by the grantees in a public lecture or published in the Rice Design Alliance journal, Cite. Awards of up to $5,000 are available for projects to be completed in one year. More than one proposal in each category, student or faculty, may be funded. Past award-winning proposals are available for review in the architecture libraries of the participating schools. An exhibition of 19 winning entires will be on view at the Architecture Center Houston, 315 Capitol, through February 26, 2010. Included in the exhibition is a binder with all the original winning proposals.

The total application must include:
• A completed application
• A written proposal for the project (one to three pages), describing goals, expected outcomes, work plan, and schedule for the project, and a discussion of its significance. Applicants also should describe past work in the area of the proposed research.
• Resume for each participant
• Students will need a faculty advisor and a letter of support.
• A project budget (equipment such as computers, digital cameras, etc. may not be included)

Mail application and supporting materials to:
Rice University
Rice Design Alliance MS-51
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892

more >

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.

more >

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce the winners of its tenth annual grants program, Initiatives for Houston. A jury selected three proposals for funding from the twenty submitted by students and faculty from Rice University School of Architecture, the University of Houston College of Architecture, Prairie View A & M University, and Texas Southern University.

more >

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 Initiatives for Houston grant program. The jury selected two proposals for funding from the nine submitted by students and faculty from Rice University School of Architecture, the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, and Prairie View A & M University.

more >

In 2001, the Rice Building Workshop received a $5,000 Initiatives for Houston grant for the proposal, “The Extra Small House.” Located at Project Row Houses in Houston’s Third Ward, the house is a reminder that a small dwelling can be rich with innovation, invention, and ideas. Live Work records the building of the Extra Small house in addition to five other collaborations with Project Row Houses.

more >

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce the winners of its eighth annual grants program, Initiatives for Houston. The program is designed for students and faculty of the Rice University School of Architecture, the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, and Prairie View A & M University to support projects that focus on Houston’s built environment, its history, and future development. Proposals were evaluated for their potential to make a significant contribution to an understanding of the city. This year, $10,000 was awarded to three projects.

more >

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.

more >

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. 

more >

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce the winners of its seventh annual grants program, Initiatives for Houston. The jury was composed of David Gresham, executive director of the Citizen’s Environmental Coalition; John Mixon, Law Alumni Professor, University of Houston Law Center; Carrie Shoemake, partner, Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects, Inc.; and Flora Yun Yeh, senior associate, Clark Condon Associates Landscape Architects. The jury selected three proposals for funding from the seven submitted by students and faculty from Rice University and the University of Houston.

more >

The Rice Design Alliance is pleased to announce the winners of its sixth annual grants program, Initiatives for Houston. The jury was composed of Antoine Bryant, project manager, Row House CDC; Lonnie Hoogeboom, Natalye Appel Architects & Associates Architects; Larry Lander, principal, PDR Corp.; Malcolm Quantrill, distinguished professor, Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University; and Joe Webb, principal, Webb Architects. The jury selected three proposals for funding from the seven submitted by students and faculty from Rice University and the University of Houston.

more >