Campus building update

By Parwana Karimi     8/26/25 9:43pm

Sarofim Hall

Sarofim Hall, the Art Department’s new building, opened August 2025. 

“Sarofim Hall is technically on schedule and complete as of August, as it has obtained a certificate of occupancy already,” wrote George Ristow, the campus architect, in an email to the Thresher. 

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While the building is in use, there has not been an official grand opening. Rice University’s Dean of Undergraduates, Bridget Gorman, told the Thresher in an interview that the dedication ceremony for Sarofim Hall will be held Sept. 11 — coinciding with Rice’s Board of Trustees meeting. 

Jones School of Business 

Rice also unveiled its plan to expand the Jones School of Business in spring of 2024. The building was originally registered to be completed by January 2026, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration. But after Rice’s request for a re-bid, a new construction company won the contract, extending the initial timeline. 

Under Skanska, the new company, the building is expected to reach completion in spring 2026.

Skanska is currently facing a lawsuit. “[Skanska is one of the] construction companies being sued for overlooking safety concerns that caused a completely preventable outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City which killed at least five people and sickened dozens more,”  NBC reported. 

The Pensacola News Journal’s website also reported that the Florida-based company has been involved in alleged bribery scandals in Brazil and Argentina, fraudulent labor practices, and racially-motivated harassment of Black subcontractors at a job site.

Chris Stipes, the University’s Executive Director of News and Media Relations, did not comment on the lawsuits. 

“We have not experienced any issues with the general contractor throughout the construction of our new business school building, which remains on schedule,” Stipes wrote in an email to the Thresher. 

Moody Center for Student Life 

Rice also broke ground on the Moody Center for Student Life this May, and is set to open by fall 2027, according to Gorman. The new student center is set to provide office space, a green area, and a pavilion for the students’ gathering spaces, Gorman said.

Chao and New Lovett College 

To accommodate Rice’s growing student body, the University is planning to house them in two new dormitories: Lovett College’s new building and the newly established Chao College. Current Lovett freshmen will be the last to live in the 1968 building until moving into Lovett’s new building in fall 2026, next to Chao.

“[I feel] kind of sad about it because, I heard the new building is gonna be really ugly and this one has a lot of history to it,” said Zaid Rashid, a Lovett College freshman. “I’ll probably be sad by the end of the year leaving it. Even though it’s really old, it still has a lot of personality to it.” 

But the future of Lovett’s character still seems unclear. Isabel Feisman, also a Lovett College freshman, said she was concerned about the legacy and culture of Lovett.

“I just hope that we still retain some of this building because there’s a lot of legacy in it, especially the downstairs where there’s handprints on the wall,” Feisman said. 

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