Rice University Opens Nexus Innovation Accelerator at the Ion

Rice University opened the Rice Nexus in February of 2025 in Houston's Midtown neighborhood. Spanning 10,000 sf across two floors, the university’s flagship innovation hub is based in the Ion building to drive entrepreneurship and commercialization in association with industry partners. Tramonte Design Studio's vision for the Rice Nexus created labs for advanced tech development and free office space for early-stage startups, as well as showcasing faculty and student inventions. This dynamic facility unites cutting-edge resources with network connections and capital to translate breakthroughs centered around AI into new high-impact ventures in alignment with Rice’s 10-year strategic plan, Momentous. 

Representing the adaptive reuse of a former Sears site, the 266,000-sf Ion building offers premier amenities for data sciences research initiatives, such as a 250-seat amphitheater for public forums, an investor studio, a 6,500-sf prototyping lab, and maker spaces. The ground floor and lower level accommodate a 55,000-sf public zone with expansive meeting and event venues, a fitness center, and dining options. A central atrium slices through the building from top to bottom. Providing leasable Class-A office and lab space, classrooms, and lecture rooms, the LEED Gold structure features abundant natural light from a central light well, supplemented by full-spectrum LED lights. Situated at the heart of the 16-acre, mixed-use Ion district, the complex is envisioned as a beacon for collaboration and transformative growth.

Designed by SHoP Architects, Gensler, James Carpenter Design Associates, and James Corner Field Operations, the Ion was built by Gilbane for a project cost of $110 million and occupied in 2021. Hines served as development manager, and engineering expertise was supplied by Walter P Moore, IAN+A, and Kimley-Horn. Other team members included HR&A Advisors, One Lux Studio, HMA Consulting, Persohn/Hahn, Longman Lindsey, and Morrison Hershfield.