Rice University alumnus De Peter Yi (M.Arch. ‘14), Lecturer, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Rice Architecture student team members Anna Fritz (B.A. ‘20), Shree Kale (B.A. ‘20), and Edward Liew (B.A. ‘20) have been named the winners of the Rice Design Alliance Houston Design Research Grant.
An Honorable Mention was awarded within the student category to a team composed by Rice Architecture students Sebastian Lopez (M.Arch. ‘22) and Lene Sollie (M.Arch. ‘22).
Each winner, including the Honorable Mention, will be awarded with a $6,000 grant to further the work on their proposals, and their projects will be featured in Cite magazine and presented by the awardees at a lecture in the fall at Rice Architecture.
The goal of the grant is to promote research on Houston-specific urban conditions that need urgent attention and that can make a significant contribution to the Houston community through quality design-thinking.
The two winning proposals in the faculty and student categories were selected from twelve total entries from four different universities, which included seven faculty submissions and five student ones, ranging from research proposals to address immediate, timely concerns from natural disasters like flooding and pandemics to investigating cooperative modes of housing ownership and typologies.
The winners were selected by a six-member jury that included Andrew Albers, AIA, vice president, OJB Landscape Architecture; vice president, RDA; and lecturer, Rice Architecture; Jonathan Brinsden, CEO Midway; Margaret Wallace Brown, director, City of Houston's Planning & Development Department; John J. Casbarian, interim dean and the Harry K. and Albert K. Smith Professor of Architecture, Rice Architecture; Maria Nicanor, executive director, Rice Design Alliance; and Jesús Vassallo, Gus Wortham Assistant Professor, Rice Architecture.
“RDA has been providing this grant since the year 2000, when some visionary members of our Board identified the need to fund Houston-specific research on the built environment. I’m incredibly proud to have been able to build on that vision thanks to the generous support of The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation and to be able to increase that funding for meaningful and strategic projects now open for applications nationwide. This year’s winners are a testament to the power of research to improve our cities and to the bridges that RDA can build between academy and practitioners, industry leaders, and city officials to give back to our community,” said Nicanor.
Building Subjects, Standpunkte, 1st edition (2019), authored by De Peter Yi, in collaboration with Nancy P. Lin, art historian; Normal and Some All None, graphic design studio; and Rice Architecture Associate Professor Reto Geiser, series editor. Yi’s grant submission proposes a similar publication based on further development of his research.
Building Subjects, Standpunkte, 1st edition (2019), authored by De Peter Yi, in collaboration with Nancy P. Lin, art historian; Normal and Some All None, graphic design studio; and Rice Architecture Associate Professor Reto Geiser, series editor. Yi’s grant submission proposes a similar publication based on further development of his research.
Under the Faculty category, Yi’s application, “The SRO Model in Houston: Adaptation, Transformation, Revitalization,” addresses issues of inequality and affordability in housing. He proposes to research the adaptation and transformation of the single room occupancy (SRO) model of housing as an alternative that can be explored for affordable housing in Houston. The research will explore the SRO model as a kit-of-parts that can not only be successfully reinvented from its original intent to house marginalized populations, but also be financed creatively through alternative funding strategies.
"Long Term Motel," by Anna Fritz, Shree Kale, and Edward Liew.
"Long Term Motel," by Anna Fritz, Shree Kale, and Edward Liew.
The proposal by Rice Architecture students Fritz, Kale, and Liew, titled “Long Term Motel,” looks at developing a new type of housing for temporary warehouse workers in the outer loop districts of Houston. The project tackles important questions such as where to house new populations who arrive to Houston for temporary work and how a new type of building could help explore otherwise marginalized industrial areas of the Houston region.
“These proposals were all imaginative and forward-thinking, each one exploring solutions to one of Houston’s most pressing issues: expanding housing opportunities for all. Houston is fortunate to have this wealth of young, creative talent designing solutions to make our City stronger and more livable for all Houstonians. I was honored to be part of this jury and look forward to seeing the results of these grants in the fall,” said Brown.
“Pragmatic Solutions for Affordable Housing in the Third Ward,” by Sebastian Lopez and Lene Sollie.
“Pragmatic Solutions for Affordable Housing in the Third Ward,” by Sebastian Lopez and Lene Sollie.
The Honorable Mention by Lopez and Sollie, “Pragmatic Solutions for Affordable Housing in the Third Ward,” concentrates on developing a new model of affordable housing for Houston’s Third Ward, with a focus on affordability, efficiency, sustainability, and comfort.
The Honorable Mention 2020 is made possible thanks to the generosity and vision of Carrie A. and Jonathan H. Brinsden. Brinsden was enthusiastic about bringing visibility to this project through the grant program.
“Exploring new and innovative housing ideas are central to Houston’s long term viability and success. These talented young designers explored unique design solutions that challenge conventional housing norms and deserve the benefit of further exploration. We were honored to be a small part of the program and eagerly await the final grant presentations,” said Brinsden.
The Houston Design Research Grant is made possible thanks to a generous gift from The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (“Mitsui USA”).
Established in 1987, The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation currently supports more than 50 initiatives across the US in the areas of Education, Community Welfare, Arts and Culture, and Employee Matching and Volunteerism.
About RDA
Rice Design Alliance is the public programs and outreach arm of Rice Architecture. We curate public programs, architecture tours, design competitions and publications that communicate the importance of design in our everyday lives and its ability to make our lives better. We are based at and work from the Rice Architecture school as an advocacy group that believes that multidisciplinary and research-based design can improve our cities and the way we live in them.
RDA was established within Rice Architecture in 1972 by the school's first dean, David Crane, together with alumni and other civic-minded community members who believed that quality design thinking should be available to all in our community and that Houston’s citizens – experts and non-experts alike – should feel empowered to act and transform our city through design.