Rice University Expands Jones Graduate School of Business

Rice University broke ground in May of 2024 on an expanded home for the Jones Graduate School of Business in Houston. Designed by Architecture Research Office (ARO) and Kirksey Architecture, the $54.5 million project will offer a range of instructional settings including seminar rooms, team learning rooms, two 65-seat classrooms, and two 120-seat classrooms. Approximately 13 breakout rooms interwoven throughout the 112,000-sf structure will promote interaction and exchange. Centralizing resources for Rice's entrepreneurial programs, the collaborative facility will also provide modern faculty office spaces.

Sited atop an existing underground parking garage, the new building will be constructed around the 160,000-sf McNair Hall, the current home of Rice Business, creating new public spaces in between. A courtyard atrium with a glazed façade and a skylit coffered roof will be linked by a triple-height pathway to a new commons with ground-floor dining facilities extending outdoors. The sustainably designed structure is targeting LEED Gold certification and will incorporate flood mitigation measures. The project is being delivered by a joint venture of Skanska and B. Bell Builders. Completion is expected in spring of 2026.