10 Decades: Rice School of Architecture Centennial

Rice University, and more specifically the Rice School of Architecture (RSA), are celebrating their centennial in October 2012. In recognition and reflection of this occasion, the exhibition 10 Decades constructs the one-hundred year history of the RSA and highlights the fortieth anniversary of its community outreach partner, the Rice Design Alliance (RDA). Rice School of Architecture’s curriculum and culture has transitioned and transformed from the Beaux-Arts traditions of early twentieth century architectural education, through the influences of Modernism, and advances in material and information technologies, to our contemporary, fast-paced, global moment. The RSA has been recognized historically for its commitment to design research – we consistently formulate the critical disciplinary questions and possibilities through the design of innovative, yet plausible architectural and urban futures. The school has both witnessed and influenced dramatic transformations in the city of Houston during this one-hundred year period and we continue to participate in this exchange through lectures, publications, and the programs and events of the RDA.

These rich, intertwined histories are depicted through a set of ten, interactive, accordion-bound books, each representing one decade from 1912 to 2012. The graphically arresting books are provocative, comparative timelines of varying length that organize specific information regarding the Rice School of Architecture (people, operations, events, and community outreach) with local, national, and international external influences (architectural, cultural, technological). Each information type is distinguished by a particular vivid color, highlighting the density of certain influences or individuals across and between decades.

Designed by Dawn Finley, Associate Professor, Rice School of Architecture
Directed by Dawn Finley and Linda Sylvan, Executive Director of the Rice Design Alliance
Project/Research Team: Peter Muessig, Erin Ruhl, Stacie Escario, Mary Beth Woiccak     

This exhibition has been made possible by the generous financial contributions of:
Rice School of Architecture
Rice Design Alliance
Architecture Center Houston Foundation, 2012 Grant
Louis H. Skidmore, Jr.
Barbara Amelio
Lonnie Hoogeboom and Betsy Strauch
Christina and Mark Mitchell
Porter & Hedges, LLP