New architecture building nears completion

By Hope Yang     9/3/24 10:41pm

The William T. Cannady Hall for Architecture approaches completion after breaking ground in September 2022. Cannady Hall is an addition to MD Anderson Hall and is set for dedication on Dec. 5 according to Dean of Architecture Igor Marjanović.

Named after professor emeritus of architecture  and lead donor William Cannady, Cannady Hall features new spaces for the School of Architecture, including a large fabrication shop on its main floor, a two-story gallery space and open-area collaborative workspaces, according to Marjanović.

“We are moving in as we speak,” Marjanović said. “[Cannady Hall] is meant to be an extension of what we do in the School of Architecture, not necessarily an office space or classroom space, but what I like to describe as an aspirational space — a space to research, create work, experiment fabrication and have new exhibitions. It’s almost like an experimental space for us to do the kind of things we currently can not do in [MD Anderson Hall].”

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Cannady Hall was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Karamuk Kuo, led by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk. According to Marjanović, Karamuk Kuo was chosen during the selection process in part to benefit the emerging firm.

“We wanted to engage a firm that reflects contemporary values in architecture,” Marjanović said. “It was seen as a way for us to support the practice of architecture and whoever might be at the next forefront in terms of the new emerging firms.”

Architect Jeanette Kuo said that she and her firm focused on creating collaborative spaces outside the conventional classroom setting during the design process.

“[MD Anderson Hall] had a little workshop that was too small for the types of projects students were working on,” Kuo said. “A lot of things that were being done were large-scale prototyping that would be dangerous to be building within a very small wood shop like the one they have.”

Architecture student Mark Liechtenberger said the increase in shop space creates a safer and more convenient working environment for students.

“During busy times of the year, we won’t be running into each other,” Lichtenberger, a McMurtry College senior, said. “And we have more tables set up to have fabrication space or to leave things while they’re being glued or any of that.”

The second floor of Cannady Hall is connected to MD Anderson Hall across the arcade. Its large volume is also divided to create outdoor spaces such as a porch and terrace, Kuo said. 

“A lot of the design moves were meant for the building to be embedded in this kind of historical campus while at the same time serving the needs of the school,” Kuo said.

Lichtenberger said that he’s excited about the outdoor and indoor spaces around Cannady Hall.

“I’m looking forward to the student events that we’ll be able to use the space for, such as some of our architecture clubs, for Architectronica, Archi Market or some of those other school-wide events,” Lichtenberger said.

Kuo said that Cannady Hall’s gallery space provides a new way for the School of Architecture to engage with the rest of the Rice campus and increases the school’s visibility.

“I think this new building is really a gesture to invite people that maybe are not studying architecture but [are] curious about what an architecture program might mean to visit the gallery and see what’s going on,” Kuo said.

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