Rice University MD Anderson Lab Renovation

In 2017, Ellenzweig was selected to complete a full renovation of space within the MD Anderson Building for a new suite of teaching labs and support spaces.  This project followed Ellenzweig’s completion of a Teaching Lab Master Plan, a study that evaluated all teaching labs on campus and made detailed recommendations for improvement.  The M.D.Anderson lab renovation was one of those specific recommendations.

The project involved the full renovation of 9,000 gsf of existing teaching and research labs into a new teaching lab suite within the larger building.  The design of the new suite transformed formerly enclosed areas into a showcase for the teaching activities taking place within—now highly visible to the rest of campus.  Design of the lab services emphasized flexibility, utilizing an overhead service grid in each lab to allow for the reconfiguration of lab tables over time; long-term flexibility is now provided throughout the lab suite.

Construction was completed while the building remained occupied.  With research activities on-going, careful coordination of construction activities was critical.  The limited construction budget required careful cost management assessment of potential building-wide infrastructure upgrades and prioritization of selected infrastructure projects to incorporate.  Construction was completed in six (6) months.

Ellenzweig served as Design Architect and Lab Planner, working in a collaboration with Courtney Harper Architects, Associated Architect on the project.