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Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/08/24/demolition_grad_housing

August 24, 2007 > News > Demolition marks project start for Shakespeare Street grad housing

Demolition marks project start for Shakespeare Street grad housing

By Sarah Rutledge | For the Thresher

The Board of Trustees approved construction for new graduate student apartments earlier this year. The apartments will be located about a block from campus, at 2402-2504 Shakespeare Street, and are scheduled for completion by January 2009. Facilities, Engineering and Planning Associate Vice President Barbara White Bryson said by expanding graduate housing, the university hopes to foster an improved graduate community at Rice.

“The Shakespeare Apartments are intended to make Rice a more welcoming and accessible university for graduate students by expanding local living options,” Bryson said.

While construction has not begun, the buildings on the property have been demolished. FE&P is waiting on the City of Houston to approve its proposed parking plan. Two-thirds of the construction is scheduled to be completed by fall 2008, and graduate students will be able to move in at that time.

The apartments will have layout similar to the existing Bissonnet graduate apartments, Bryson said, with one- and two-bedroom units and individual kitchens. The Bissonnet apartments contain 222 beds, and the new apartments will have 238. The four-story facility will accommodate 137 total units, and the apartment complex will have a small TV and social room with a gathering and barbecue area outside, as well as gated parking.

Like Duncan College, the building is designed to be environmentally friendly, with sparse paving for better drainage and more green space.

“The team is enthusiastically working toward LEED certification on this project,” Bryson said. “It’s a challenge, but we think it may be possible to achieve that designation. Many of the building systems decisions have also been informed by the LEED process.”

The design includes 100 bike racks on the interior with additional bike storage outside, and regular shuttle service from Rice to the apartments will be provided. Bryson said these features will accommodate students who do not own cars.

She said while no specific committee was behind the planning of the apartments, the project has been in the making for a while.

“The project resulted from a number of factors coming together, but the thinking about the need for more graduate housing began under the leadership of Jordan Konisky, former vice provost for research and graduate studies,” she said.

Rice owned property that was being used for graduate housing but recently bought adjacent lots to expand its area. These nearby Shakespeare apartments will make graduate students feel more connected to Rice, Bryson said.

“These apartments help first-year graduate students acclimate to Rice and to Houston socially and financially,” she said. “Since the apartments will be just a block away from the university, graduate students will have easy access to their classes, labs and social activities on campus.”

The Board approved $15.5 million plus the cost of capitalized interest to build the apartments. Operating costs will be covered by debt and rental payments from the apartments. Bryson said rental costs should be comparable to the Bissonnet rates.

Martel College sophomore Katherin Sudol said the new apartments are a great idea.

“By expanding graduate apartments you’re going to have more of a community,” Sudol said. “People may feel closer, and get the feeling that they’re still in college.”

While Bryson said plans for additional graduate housing are not currently in the works, she expects to look for more ways to enhance the graduate student experience in the future.

“It will be important to start planning for additional opportunities to accommodate our graduate students after we finish the current building program,” she said.

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