Rice University to Build New Student Life Complex

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/13/25

Rice University in Houston, Texas, recently announced that a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Moody Center Complex for Student Life (MCCSL) will take place on May 8, 2025, according to a university news release. The 75,000-square-foot facility was designed by architecture firm Olson Kundig with Page serving as executive architect, and it has an estimated completion date of fall 2027.

Funding comes from a $100-million donation from the Moody Foundation—the largest in university history—and a $15-million donation from the Brown Foundation. The new facility will be built in the Central Quadrangle alongside the existing Ley Student Center and Rice Memorial Center (RMC). Both of these facilities will be renovated after the new construction phase to create a cohesive complex, the news release reports.

"Rice University is dedicated to empowering our students to become leaders who make meaningful impacts around the world," said Reginald DesRoches, university president. "The Moody Center Complex for Student Life will be a centerpiece for community, creativity and collaboration, providing our students with the resources and spaces they need to thrive. We are sincerely grateful to the Moody Foundation and Brown Foundation for their incredible vision and support."

The new facility will include amenities like student services offices, study areas and meeting rooms, a café, and a coffeehouse, as well as indoor and outdoor event space for performances, lectures, and multicultural events.

"The Moody Center Complex for Student Life is set to become a vibrant cornerstone of student activity at Rice — an open, inclusive and outward-looking space that amplifies the university’s mission to support students in their academic, personal and professional journeys,” said Kelly Fox, the university’s executive vice president for operations, finance, and support.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at mjones@1105media.com.

Featured

  • Rush-Henrietta Central School District’s Sperry High School

    A New Perspective: Using Adaptive Reuse Concepts in K-12 Planning

    In the face of increasing pressures on construction timelines, budgets, and material availability, the renovation and reuse of pre-existing structures for new purposes can help bridge the gap between modern school programming and outdated school infrastructure.

  • Massachusetts High School to Build New Athletics Facility

    Middlesex School, which serves boarding and day students in grades 9–12, recently moved forward with plans to build a new athletics facility for its campus in Concord, Mass., according to a news release. MassDevelopment recently issued a $43.7-million tax-exempt bond to fund the project.

  • diverse, simplified human figures in various colors seated around a curved table, with floating icons like light bulbs and speech bubbles above them

    Spaces4Learning Relaunches Advisory Board, Announces 12 Members

    Spaces4Learning is pleased to announce the relaunch of its advisory board and the introduction of its 12 distinguished members.

  • American University Launches Sustainability Research Project

    American University in Washington, D.C., recently began a research project exploring the relationship between purchase decisions for university campuses and sustainability, according to a news release. The study seeks to explore how “greening” the purchases involved in student housing renovations, breaking ground on new facilities, buying new equipment and supplies, and more, can foster larger sustainability goals.