Rice University Ralph S O’Connor Building for Science and Engineering

2024 Design Awards Merit Recipient

Rice University Ralph S O’Connor Building for Science and Engineering

At 250,000 square feet, the new Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science is the largest research facility on Rice University’s historic core campus. Located on the site of the former Abercrombie Engineering Lab, the O’Connor Building provides users with technology-rich facilities that embody the University’s goal to stay at the forefront of scientific discovery and to recruit the country’s best scientific and engineering minds. The new high-performance facility more than triples the usable square footage within the same footprint – bringing together state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, offices, a cafe and interactive gathering spaces. A five-story atrium extends the campus into the building and a transparent glass facade at the ground level showcases the activity within. An open central hub of interconnected two-story spaces features conference rooms, symposia spaces, break areas and soft seating areas. A flexible, multi-purpose event space with an outdoor terrace sits at the top level with views of the campus and the Houston skyline. With a mix of computational and experimental faculty labs, the building is designed to be flexible, adaptable and agile as research methods change. Complementing the surrounding historic buildings, the facade features a composition of brick and punched windows articulated by a series of angled brick pilasters and fins. Upon its completion, it has become a new center of gravity for campus activity, enriching the academic and social experience. It has spurred a new, dynamic and inclusive environment that provides robust research-hosting infrastructure and activated public space popular for social gathering.

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Programmatically interesting and successful. A well-done building that shows thinking about environmental influences. The jury admires the attention to access to daylight and fresh air, and selection of healthy and resilient materials aimed at reducing carbon emissions and minimizing chemicals of concern within the indoor air environment.

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Measure 1: Design for Integration

Pursuing LEED Silver certification, the sustainable design significantly reduces energy demand by maximizing daylight while limiting solar heat gain through a solar-responsive enclosure. The use of masonry brick and stone on the primary facade minimizes carbon intensive materials.

Passive design strategies, paired with an energy efficient HVAC and lighting system, offset energy use in the laboratories to achieve a 50% reduction over a typical lab per AIA Labs 21 baseline.

As a lab building, the mechanical system will consume an extensive amount of energy due to the frequent air exchanges. To offset this, we developed an exterior façade with a low-window to wall ratio (35%) that reduces operational energy, as well as minimizes solar heat gain and cooling loads.

The high chemical and hazardous gas use created the need for innovative ways to meet stringent code requirements and Houston’s Hazardous Enterprise Ordinance. The building uses a series of both horizontal and vertical fire sliding door systems to separate the building into control zones while maintaining the desire for transparency and open collaboration. H occupancy rooms are provided on each floor to increase the allowable maximum allowable quantities.

Measure 2: Design for Equitable Communities

Rice brought together a collaborative team of architects and engineers, the builder, the university facilities team and steering committee. The challenge was to learn from Rice’s experience in maintaining and renovating existing campus labs and incorporate those lessons into new, responsive design solutions.

We worked closely with the campus architect and university stakeholders to review all aspects of building design, ensuring proposed solutions resonated and reinforced the existing campus architecture. The resulting facility strikes a balance of historic and contemporary materials, leverages and connects existing circulation pathways, and creates a new energetic hub of social and scientific activity on campus.

Measure 3: Design for Ecosystems

This facility was designed with features that ensure efficient and low impact operations for years to come. Low-flow restroom fixtures reduce indoor water use, energy-efficient escalators, LED lighting, and variable speed motors on baggage handling devices are used throughout. Environmentally conscientious construction practices included removing 7,163 tons of contaminated soil and 62,405 gallons of impacted stormwater, and diverting a staggering 92% of construction waste away from landfills.

Measure 4: Design for Water

Low flow water fixtures will achieve 40% savings in indoor water usage. Drip irrigation will achieve 88% water savings in outdoor water use.

Water for the evaporative cooling system is reclaimed from the cooling coil condensate from most units in the building.

While potable water is used in the cooling tower, it has been designed with a water management plan that anticipates 10 cycles for the cooling power to minimize water usage, where 4 cycles can be performed without needing water treatment.

Measure 5: Design for Economy

With the challenges of inflation and supply chains, value engineering was conducted in the early design phase to use more standardized products.

Research labs are configured on a 10’8” x 32’0” modular arrangement permitting total or partial containment of lab in modular increments for future shrink or expansion.

Centralized shared lab extends the lab space and saves more room by providing shared lab equipment. Working stations, classrooms, meeting rooms and terrace level event space are designed for flexibility in multiple use layouts to maximize the space utilizations.

Measure 6: Design for Energy

Passive design strategies, paired with energy efficient HVAC and lighting system, offset lab energy use to achieve a 50% reduction over a typical lab per AIA Labs 21 baseline.

As a lab building, the mechanical system will consume extensive energy amounts due to frequent air exchanges. To offset this, we developed the façade with a low-window to wall ratio (35%), reducing operational energy and minimizing solar heat gain and cooling loads.

Simulation was performed to explore options for; glazing, opaque construction, shading, daylighting, air handling and terminal units, energy recovery, high plume lab exhaust. chilled water system and air treatment.

Measure 7: Design for Well-Being

To benefit occupant health, materials were selected leveraging the firm’s D-SPEC research, aimed at reducing carbon emissions and minimizing chemicals of concern within the indoor air environment.

All items above were addressed except for natural ventilation (not applicable to the lab space typology). Labs are served by 100% outside air, equipped with energy efficient mechanical systems, a fine-tuned air change criteria, and exhaust heat recovery.

Lighting controls achieve LEED high performance standards and interior surface reflectivity was designed to further enhance the indoor environment.

Measure 8: Design for Resources

Harmonizing with the materials and aesthetics of the surrounding historic campus architecture, the facade incorporates traditional local materials including St. Joe brick, cast stone, and Texas limestone.

The use of masonry brick and stone on the primary facade enclosure minimizes carbon intensive materials. This material selection is also taking advantage of the skilled masonry trade available in the region to create well crafted assemblies.

Additionally, a former bas-relief facade stone was recycled from the previous in-place Abercrombie building during the demolition and later reinstalled on the building enclosure as one of its iconic design features.

Measure 9: Design for Change

The durable masonry building facade will require minimum maintenance during the lifespan of the building and reinforce the exterior assemblies.

To address the potential flooding risk, the ground floor elevation is 3 feet higher than 500-year floodplain elevation in the local ordinance, with a roof garden in addition to retain excessive rainwater.

Lab planning schemes rely on the idea of flexibility, adaptability and agility with the modular layout to allow future changes to be easily implemented and interdisciplinary collaboration within the same research neighborhood. This neighborhood concept also provides for group size changes as programs increase or decrease.

Measure 10: Design for Discovery

The project team utilized user experience and building performance in another campus lab building (also designed by the team) to develop requirements in collaboration with contractors, owner’s project managers, scientists, operators and facility engineering staff. Demands were evaluated and incorporated in both design phase and pre-occupancy walk.

Despite the completed building sustaining several severe weather events such as freezing and extreme heat, the multi-story atrium space attracted students and faculty for social gatherings and spontaneous collaboration.

The new facility supports Rice’s vision to unite previously scattered departments under one roof, attract and retain talent, and add much needed space.