Program: A new child-care facility for children of Rice University’s faculty and staff.

Challenge: Provide an inexpensive, flexible and sustainable building for an unknown population mix ranging in ages three months to four years, and an unknown facility operator during design.

Site: On a single-block street of mixed-use buildings and houses almost entirely owned by Rice, three 70’ x 125’ contiguous lots.

Solution: The configuration of the site and the necessary vehicular access suggested a building with a long north/south axis, resulting in primary exposures in the east/west directions. This environmentally disadvantageous orientation is mitigated by reducing openings on the east/west and utilizing clerestories oriented to the north, bringing daylight to all the interior spaces, thus decreasing air conditioning loads and artificial lighting requirements. Flexible, loft-like spaces accommodate changing age-group populations for this $2,200,000 facility. Service cores of toilets, bottle warming and changing areas, form an undulating rhythm of toy block-like multi-colored cubes, distinguishing public from private areas. The playful pattern of small openings on the east elevation is Braille spelling R I C E U - C H I L D. The brown patterned brick ‘garden’ wall weaving through the five vertical elements is made entirely from recycled brick of the demolished houses. By using recycled and low-impact volatile organic compound materials and systems, gray water harvesting and energy efficiency, the building achieved LEED SILVER making it the first such designated building on the Rice campus and the first childcare facility with infant care in the Houston area.