We are pleased to announce dates for our 36th annual architecture tour, which will occur Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25, 2012. The tour, Living with Art, will showcase significant houses in Houston that exhibit impressive art collections.

Living with art changes the architectural dynamics of a house. The houses on the tour demonstrate how art can reshape architecture, most intriguingly in houses that were not originally designed with art exhibition in mind. “Houstonians are fortunate to live in a city abundant with uniquely diverse art institutions and museums. Although the majority of our city may not be aware, we are also fortunate to be surrounded by equally significant private collections scattered throughout our neighborhoods—collections that foster a belief in art and deep personal reflection,” says Julie Kinzelman, home tour committee member and owner of Kinzelman Art Consulting.

The tour will feature eight distinctive homes where tour-goers can peruse the art collections, as well as the structures housing the collections. RDA members and their guests are invited to attend the tour.

EVENT INFORMATION

What: Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour – Living with Art
Dates: March 24-25, 2012, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day

Locations:

1527 Kirby Drive
1937 William G. Farrington Company

1540 Kirby Drive
1937, Joseph W. Northrup, Jr.

3763 Jardin Street
2010, Michael Landrum

1529 Maryland Street
2006, Parra Design Group

528 Buckingham Drive
2000, Kevin Young Designers

2526 Bellmeade Drive
2006, Glassman Shoemake Maldonado

2002 Mason Street
2003, Wittenberg Oberholzer

1528 W. 24th Avenue
2010, John Blackmon and Ian Glennie

Tickets: The tour is open only to RDA members and their guests. RDA memberships begin at $45 and can be purchased during the tour or in advance at the RDA office, and include one complimentary tour ticket at the Student or Individual level or two complimentary tickets at the Household level and above. Ticket prices for members and their guests are $25. To purchase tickets online, please click here.

The Rice Design Alliance has held architecture tours every year since 1975 to acquaint Houstonians with the best examples of architecture, interior design, and landscape design in the city.

The Rice Design Alliance is an AIA/CES Registered Provider of educational programs. For this tour, attendees will earn two Learning Units. Learning Units will be reported to CES Records on the member’s behalf. Registration at one house on the tour is required. Non-AIA members may pick up a Certificate of Completion to fulfill state MCE requirements.

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Modern Home Tours LLC Presents

The 2012 Houston Modern Home Tour

Saturday, March 3, 2012

11am-6pm

Tickets: $25 in Advance/ $30 Day of Tour

http://houston.modernhometours.com/tickets/

January 23, 2012 – On Saturday, March 3, 2012, eight to twelve of Houston’s finest modern and mid-century homes will open their doors for a tour, as curated by Ingrid Spencer, former managing editor and current contributing editor for Architectural Record magazine.

More than just an aesthetic, “Modern” embodies new construction techniques and materials, and new ways of addressing old problems.  “Modern” is not just what you live in, but how you live.  From attainability to sustainability, the singular thread that connects “Modern” is an outlook that embraces new possibilities in living and lifestyle.

Modern Home Tours, LLC was founded by partners Matt Swinney & James Leasure to introduce Modern architecture and living to people across the nation.  Through fun and informative tours in dozens of cities across the United States and Canada, people are invited into some of the most exciting examples of Modern architecture and design in the nation.  With carefully selected architects, neighborhoods and architecture, home tours are unlike anything you’ve ever seen.  Not only will you learn about the cutting edge of home design, but you might even get an idea or two for your next home project!

Modern Home Tours, LLC is currently accepting home submissions for this event.  To learn more, please visithttp://houston.modernhometours.com/homes/.

This is a self-guided driving tour and tickets can be purchased in advance for $25 using the following link:  http://houston.modernhometours.com/tickets/

Advance tickets will not be mailed.  Tickets will be picked up at any of the three will call locations on the day of the tour beginning at 11:00am.  Will call locations will be announced approximately two weeks prior to the event and will be at actual tour homes.  Tickets can also be purchased the day of for $30.

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BRAZIL: The Escola Carioca: Modern Architecture in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, June 12 – 19, 2012
Price to be announced soon.

Modern Architecture in Brazil made a first timid appearance in the city of São Paulo, yet it was in the city of Rio de Janeiro that a particular, and internationally recognized, brand of architecture was forged. The brand consisted of a Brazilian twist on modern architecture, which had been theorized by such architects as Lucio Costa, and prolifically practiced by Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Reidy, and the Roberto Brothers. Unlike its counterparts in Europe and North America, early 20th-century architecture in Brazil sought no rupture with tradition even if it paradoxically resisted four centuries of colonial influence. This subsequently required the construction of an identity that was able to connect the virtues of Brazil’s perceived primitivism with the promise of a technically advanced future. The state was finally convinced to construct an image for the nation that would heavily rely on modern architecture, beginning with the 1936 projects for a Federal University (unbuilt) and the Ministry of Education Building (built), both having had Le Corbusier act as a consultant. At the apex of this architectural movement is, of course, Brasilia designed by Lucio Costa within the very architectural culture of Rio de Janeiro to the sound of Bossa Nova music.

Rice University Professor Farès el-Dahdah, who grew up in Brasilia, and architecture historian Stephen Fox will be our guides. Price to be announced shortly.

If you are interested in receiving additional information when it becomes available, please contact Lynn Kelly, lynnkellyrda@gmail.com.

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This year’s Rice Design Alliance tour, Living with Art, will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. “From 1950 to 1975, Houston underwent explosive change, growing from an incubator of yet-to-be-realized dreams into a renowned metropolis—a center not only of commerce and political power but also of the arts,” begins Sarah Reynolds in her book Houston Reflections: Art in the City, 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Houston is now recognized as one of the centers for the arts, and of renowned collections. The Art Houses Tour will look at significant houses in Houston that were designed or retrofitted around art collections.

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This year’s Rice Design Alliance tour, Living with Art, will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. “From 1950 to 1975, Houston underwent explosive change, growing from an incubator of yet-to-be-realized dreams into a renowned metropolis—a center not only of commerce and political power but also of the arts,” begins Sarah Reynolds in her book Houston Reflections: Art in the City, 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Houston is now recognized as one of the centers for the arts, and of renowned collections. The Art Houses Tour will look at significant houses in Houston that were designed or retrofitted around art collections.

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RDA is pleased to announce its 2012 Hometown tour destinations:

BRAZIL: The Escola Carioca: Modern Architecture in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, June 12 – 19, 2012.
#3,999 pp dbl; $625 single supplement

Modern Architecture in Brazil made a first timid appearance in the city of São Paulo, yet it was in the city of Rio de Janeiro that a particular, and internationally recognized, brand of architecture was forged. The brand consisted of a Brazilian twist on modern architecture, which had been theorized by such architects as Lucio Costa, and prolifically practiced by Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Reidy, and the Roberto Brothers. Unlike its counterparts in Europe and North America, early 20th-century architecture in Brazil sought no rupture with tradition even if it paradoxically resisted four centuries of colonial influence. This subsequently required the construction of an identity that was able to connect the virtues of Brazil’s perceived primitivism with the promise of a technically advanced future. The state was finally convinced to construct an image for the nation that would heavily rely on modern architecture, beginning with the 1936 projects for a Federal University (unbuilt) and the Ministry of Education Building (built), both having had Le Corbusier act as a consultant. At the apex of this architectural movement is, of course, Brasilia designed by Lucio Costa within the very architectural culture of Rio de Janeiro to the sound of Bossa Nova music.

Rice University Professor Farès el-Dahdah, who grew up in Brasilia, and architecture historian Stephen Fox will be our guides.

Registration is open for Brazil and a completed reservation card, a signed responsibility statement, and a deposit is required to confirm your reservation.

For more information, please contact Lynn Kelly, lynnkellyrda@gmail.com.

***********WAITLISTED************
SAN ANTONIO — March 8-11, 2012
$1,275 pp dbl; $200 single supplement; $1,020 tour only (without hotel)

San Antonio, founded in 1731 adjacent to the Mission of San Antonio de Valero, is the oldest city in Texas. It is also the most magical. The enchantment of San Antonio is embedded in its architecture. The Rice Design Alliance will experience the architecture and history of San Antonio as we visit some of the most remarkable buildings, sites, and neighborhoods that give the city its exceptional character.

Our visit will include a walking tour of downtown San Antonio and historical sites such as the River Walk. We will visit eighteenth-century Franciscan missions that preserve the Spanish frontier culture of San Antonio. We will tour the King William neighborhood, the most intact elite Victorian neighborhood in Texas. And we will have opportunities to visit special works by San Antonio’s greatest architects, both historic and contemporary.

Architectural historian Stephen Fox along with local architects and designers will be your tour guides. The Rice Design Alliance will conclude with a survey of historic and modern ranch architecture on the outskirts of San Antonio. Registration is open for San Antonio and a completed reservation card, a signed responsibility statement, and a deposit are required to confirm your reservation.

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RDA Executive Director Linda Sylvan documents her time in Helsinki with fellow tourgoers during RDA’s City Study Tour.

Helsinki Cathedral, Senate Square

Thirty-five RDA members arrived in Helsinki in time for a heat-wave that brought bright blue skies and highs in the mid 80s. Perfect weather for us Houstonians whose friends and families back home were sweltering in temperatures reaching 100 degrees! The group was led by architect Carlos Jimenez, whose Finnish friend and fellow Pritzker Prize juror Juhani Pallasmaa assisted in the planning of the trip, architectural historian Stephen Fox, and intrepid RDA tour director Lynn Kelly.

A welcome dinner was held at the famous Savoy Restaurant, whose interiors were designed by Alvar Aalto. Juhani Pallasmaa gave a brief preview of the walking tour of Helsinki Centre that he would lead the following day. Sights included work by C.L. Engel, Senate Square and University Library; Lars Sonk, Jugend Hall and the Stock Exchange and Telephone Company; Alvar Aalto, Iron House and Academic Book Store; Eliel Saarinen’s Railway Station; and Steven Holl’s Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. Late afternoon was spent shopping at stores along Esplanade Park – from Artek to Littala, from Marimekko to Aarikka.

Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum

The following day we visited additional sights in Helsinki, including the National Museum, the Rock Church, and Aalto’s Finlandia Hall and National Pensions Institute. Then we left Helsinki and drove to Turku, the 2011 Cultural Capital of the World. We stopped along the way for lunch at the Hvittrask Museum, the former compound designed by Gesellius, Lindgren, and Saarinen as a summer retreat for the architects and their families. Other sights included Erik Bryggman’s Resurrection Chapel and Pekka Pitkanen’s Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Resurrection Chapel

In Turku we visited the Turku Castle, Turku Cathedral, and the Sibelius Museum. That night several people chose to eat dinner on one of the many boats docked along the river Aru.

Turku Castle

River boat restaurant, Turku

The next day we left Turku and traveled to Old Rauma Town, a World Heritage Site and then on to Pori for lunch and a visit to the Pori Art Museum (renovation and extension by Kristian Gullichsen). The highlight of the day was a visit to the Villa Mairea, the summer house that Alvar Aalto designed for Maire and Harry Gullichsen and their children in 1937-39, which ranks as one of the greatest houses of the 20th century. Juhani Pallasmaa arranged for us to have complete access to the house, which is furnished with the possessions with which Maire and Harry Gullichsen lived.

Villa Mairea

On our way back to Helsinki, we toured the Tampere Cathedral by Lars Sonck and Kaleva Church and Municipal Library by Reima Pietila as well as the Hattula Medieval Church, the finest medieval church in Finland. We arrived in Helsinki and went straight to the harbour to catch a ferry to the Boathouse Restaurant for lunch on one of the many islands off the coast.

We ended our tour as we had begun, with an homage to Alvar Aalto. After touring Aalto University we ended at the Aalto House and Studio for a private tour and festive dinner.

Alvar Aalto Studio

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On Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, nearly a 1,000 people came out to tour the houses selected for RDA’s annual home tour. The tour, Houses of Import, featured homes built by architects not from the Houston area. Showcasing their unique perspectives on Houston’s climate, history, transportation, landscape, and lack of zoning, the houses offered a fresh and inspiring take on living in the region. While each home was vastly different from one another, many of the architects found innovative ways to maximize light and incorporate the lush vegetation that Houston offers in abundance.

As Houston Press writer Nathan Paulhaus remarked, “In light of the economic crisis, Houston is one of the few places in the last decade to continue growth and expand in population. Increased metropolitan growth means more demand for housing. With outside firms who want to bring their business to where it’s best, we can expect a lot more out-of-town influence on Houston architecture.”

RDA would like to thank all of the volunteers who dedicated their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make this year’s tour such a success.

[Show as slideshow]

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Houston, Texas (10 January 2011) – The Rice Design Alliance (RDA) announces dates for its 35th annual architecture, which will occur Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, 2011. The tour, Houses of Import, will feature homes designed by architects from outside the Houston region.

The tour will showcase visiting architects’ fresh insight and inspiration to Houston’s architectural vitality. Houses of Import reveals how unique characteristics of Houston – climate, history, transportation, landscape, lack of zoning – are interpreted from an “outsiders” perspective. Ultimately, the tour seeks to understand how an emerging global design practice is beginning to have a substantive impact on our local residential design market.

RDA members and their guests are invited to attend the tour.

EVENT INFORMATION

What:

Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour: Houses of Import

Dates:

April 2-3, 2011

Locations:

1916 Banks Street (Handmade House)
2010 Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen, Seattle, WA

6001 Charlotte Street
2005 Price Harrison & Associates, Nashville, TN

3122 Sunset Boulevard (Casita)
2010 W. Jude LeBlanc, Atlanta, GA

3506 Sunset Boulevard
2005 David Heymann, Architect, Austin, TX

606 West Friar Tuck Lane
2003 Lake | Flato Architects, San Antonio, TX

2225 Devonshire Lane
1982 Frank Welch & Associates, Dallas, TX

Tickets: The tour is open only to RDA members and their guests. RDA memberships begin at $45 and can be purchased during the tour or in advance at the RDA office, and include one complimentary tour ticket at the Student or Individual level or two complimentary tickets at the Household level and above. Ticket prices for members and their guests are $25. To purchase tickets in advance, please call RDA’s office at 713-348-4876. To purchase tickets online, please click here.

The Rice Design Alliance has held architecture tours every year since 1975 to acquaint Houstonians with the best examples of architecture, interior design, and landscape design in the city.

The Rice Design Alliance is an AIA/CES Registered Provider of educational programs. For this tour, attendees will earn two Learning Units. Learning Units will be reported to CES Records on the members’ behalf. Registration at one house on the tour is required. Non-AIA members may pick up a Certificate of Completion to fulfill state MCE requirements.

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Dates have been announced for our 35th annual architecture, which will occur Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, 2011. The tour, Houses of Import, will feature homes designed by architects from outside the Houston region.

The tour will showcase visiting architects’ fresh insight and inspiration to Houston’s architectural vitality. Houses of Import reveals how unique characteristics of Houston – climate, history, transportation, landscape, lack of zoning – are interpreted from an “outsiders” perspective. Ultimately, the tour seeks to understand how an emerging global design practice is beginning to have a substantive impact on our local residential design market.

RDA members and their guests are invited to attend the tour.

What:
Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour: Houses of Import

Dates and Times:
April 2-3, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

[All photos by Hester and Hardaway]

House 1
3506 Sunset Boulevard
2005 David Heymann, Architect, Austin, TX

House 2
3122 Sunset Boulevard (Casita)
2010 W. Jude LeBlanc, Atlanta, GA

House 3
6001 Charlotte Street
2005 Price Harrison & Associates, Nashville, TN

House 4
1916 Banks Street (Handmade House)
2010 Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen, Seattle, WA

House 5
2225 Devonshire Lane
1982 Frank Welch & Associates, Dallas, TX

House 6
606 West Friar Tuck Lane
2003 Lake | Flato Architects, San Antonio, TX

Tickets: The tour is open only to RDA members and their guests. RDA memberships begin at $45 and can be purchased during the tour or in advance at the RDA office, and include one complimentary tour ticket at the Student or Individual level or two complimentary tickets at the Household level and above. Ticket prices for members and their guests are $25. To purchase tickets in advance, please call RDA’s office at 713-348-4876. To purchase tickets online, please click here.

The Rice Design Alliance has held architecture tours every year since 1975 to acquaint Houstonians with the best examples of architecture, interior design, and landscape design in the city.

The Rice Design Alliance is an AIA/CES Registered Provider of educational programs. For this tour, attendees will earn two Learning Units. Learning Units will be reported to CES Records on the members’ behalf. Registration at one house on the tour is required. Non-AIA members may pick up a Certificate of Completion to fulfill state MCE requirements.

more >