Classrooms of the future

Rice University breaks ground on massive business school expansion

Houston’s Rice University already has one of the country’s top business schools, and a new facility could further enhance its lofty reputation. On Thursday, May 9, the school announced it had broken ground on a new, 112,000-square-foot building for the Jones Graduate School of Business.

The still-unnamed building will serve as a compliment to McNair Hall, the business school’s current home that opened in 2002. With the growth in enrollment of both full-time MBA students as well as hybrid programs that include both on campus and remote learning, the Jones School’s faculty has increased by 41 percent, according to a release. The new building will also better help the school host events such as the Rice Business Plan Competition, Rice Energy Finance Summit and the Women in Leadership Conference.

“We are energized by the momentum of our innovative new programs, the addition of new faculty and students and a fresh outlook on the future,” said Peter Rodriguez, dean of the Jones Graduate School of Business. “Our commitment is to attract more talented and innovative students, faculty and staff to Rice, who will further improve our programs and research capabilities. This wonderful new facility is critical to fulfilling that commitment.”

Rice turned to New York City-based Architecture Research Office (ARO) to design the new facility. Built above an existing parking garage to help protect against flooding, the building’s structure will wrap around the south and west sides of McNair Hall to create new outdoor public spaces between the two buildings. By adding a glass facade and a coffered roof, it will transform an outdoor courtyard into an indoor/outdoor atrium with a skylight. Inside, students will have access to two, 120-seat classrooms as well as two, 65-seat classrooms. A dining area will offer both indoor and outdoor seating.

Critically, ARO and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects have taken steps to ensure that the new building doesn’t detract from the Twilight Epiphany Skyspace installation by James Turrell. An angled facade will ensure that the building’s light doesn’t compromise views from within the installation. In addition, large windows in one of the building’s event spaces will provide a clear view of the artwork.

“With the opportunity to design this new building on Rice’s historic — and exceptionally beautiful — campus comes an enormous responsibility,” added Stephen Cassell, ARO’s principal-in-charge for the project. “Our task is to deliver an integrated and contextual yet forward-looking structure that embodies Rice Business’s focus on the future as it continues to grow.”

Along with the groundbreaking, Rice Business announced a $40 million fundraising campaign. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2026.

Courtesy of ARO

Construction is expected to finish in two years.

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More Marriott

Luxurious downtown Houston hotel expands with more rooms and rooftop pool

A computer rendering of the new rooftop lounge and pool area at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown.

Courtesy of the JW Marriott Houston Downtown

A render of the future rooftop space at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown

The JW Marriott Houston Downtown has revealed plans for a massive expansion that will add the adjacent Battelstein’s Building at 812 Main to the hotel's existing footprint.

With an eye to impress guests coming to Houston for the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, the revitalized Battelstein's Building will include a new ground floor restaurant, additional meeting and events spaces, and a rooftop bar and lounge with a pool overlooking the downtown skyline. It will offer easy access to the planned Main Street Promenade, also set to open next June.

“This initiative represents an exciting evolution for the JW Marriott Houston Downtown,” hotel general manager Jelle Vandenbroucke said in a statement. “We are not just adding rooms — we are redefining the guest experience by creating a hospitality destination that captures the energy, diversity and sophistication of Houston.”

When the expansion is complete, the Marriott will have a total of 384 guest rooms (an increase of 56), including 89 suites, touted in press materials as the largest inventory of luxury lodging in the city's core. The expansion also adds 10,000 square feet of meeting space to the Marriott, bringing the total to over 23,000 square feet. Rottet Studio designed the new space, and Los Angeles-based Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates is handling the renovation. Guests should still see plenty of the original materials used in these historic constructions as they explore the Marriott's modern services.

Built in 1924 to house the titular department store, and raised to 10 stories in 1950 by acclaimed architects Joseph Finger and George Rustay, the Battelstein’s Building is a beloved, if modest, part of the Houston skyline. Philip Battelstein opened his tailor and haberdashery in Houston in 1897 after arriving from Lithuania with almost no money. The store thrived through the post-war years, leading to its iconic expansion, but declined as the 1970s oil boom petered out and suburban shopping malls grew in popularity. The space was frequently vacant after 1980. Southwest Value Partners, the company that owns the hotel's current location, acquired the building in 2022.

Currently, the JW Marriott occupies another historic Houston location, the adjacent, 22-story Samuel F. Carter Building at 806 Main. When Samuel Fain Carter built it in 1910, it was the tallest building in Houston. Many doubted such a towering structure could actually stand on Houston's famously swampy ground, earning it the nickname Carter's Folly. More than a century later, it remains Houston's first skyscraper. The Marriott welcomed its first guests in 2014.

Courtesy of the JW Marriott Houston Downtown

A render of the future rooftop space at the JW Marriott Houston Downtown.

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