LAUNCH

Rice University School of Architecture is pleased to announce the return of LAUNCH, a summer program in architectural design.

LAUNCH offers students in any field the opportunity to design the future and learn about architecture in an immersive, exciting atmosphere of hands-on speculation and experimentation. Formatted as a four-week design studio — fueled by daily discussions, lectures and field trips with faculty from the Rice School of Architecture — students will design architectural projects that respond to issues and sites in the city of Houston.



A selection of advanced graduate students in the Rice School of Architecture, in collaboration with an experienced faculty coordinator, will instruct participants in digital and analog working methods and lead daily group and individual discussions. LAUNCH requires only a committed interest to creative inquiry and enthusiastic pursuit of new ideas; no previous experience in architecture or design is required for admission.

The program invites applications for LAUNCH 2012 from undergraduate students in any institution and discipline who are curious about architectural design, building a portfolio for future professional or academic work, or who simply want to engage the city around them.


 

DATES & TIMES

Rice Summer Session III 

STUDIO MEETING TIME: Monday – Thursday 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
LAUNCH - EVENTS: Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – 11:00 am

LAUNCH focuses on the design studio experience. In addition to drawing and learning a wide range of digital and analog techniques, students will construct physical models of their designs. Design studios will meet four days a week in the afternoons and complementary LAUNCH events – seminars, discussions, workshops, field trips and lectures – will take place in the mornings. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be free for working, playing, and exploring Houston.
 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for LAUNCH 2012 will be administered by the Rice University Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. Admission is open to current undergraduate students of any institution or area of study. The program is an official , four credit-hour, Rice University Summer School Course, and can be found in the summer course catalog as ARCH 100 – LAUNCH – Summer Program in Architecture. This course designation will be required in application material submitted to the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

Interested graduating high school seniors, graduate and post-graduate students are also encouraged to apply – please consult the websites below for additional information.

Current Rice Students do not need to apply for admission to the summer program, but must follow the Glasscock School’s guidelines for registering for summer courses. Please refer to the Current Rice Undergraduate and Graduate Students section of the instructions.

Visiting Students will apply for summer admission to Rice University and should refer to the detailed instructions in the "Visiting Students " section of the Glasscock School’s summer admission guidelines. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for summer admission, but no portfolio of creative work is necessary to participate in LAUNCH. The following list of material must be submitted to the Glasscock School:

• Summer School Application Form
• Dean of Students Recommendation Form (proof of good standing)
• Most recent transcript from your current university
• Course Deposit of $200 per course
• $75 Application Fee

All material must be submitted to:

Summer School Office
Rice University
Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies – MS-550
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
 

PROGRAM COST

LAUNCH 2012 will have the following program costs:

Tuition (four credit hours): $3,796.00
Estimated costs for printing and supplies: $150.00

Room and Board accommodations on the Rice campus are available at an additional cost, according to the schedule below. Reservations should be made through the Rice University Housing and Dining office as soon as possible to ensure availability. Please refer to the “Rice Student Summer Housing” section of the “Summer & Conference Housing” page http://campushousing.rice.edu/summer/; for detailed information.

Current Rice Students:
• Dorm room: $20.50 / night / student

Visiting Students:
• Dorm room: $24.80 / night / student

 

Meal Plan for Rice Students and Visiting Students
• Breakfast: $5.60 / student / meal (guaranteed availability)
• Lunch: $6.90 / student / meal (guaranteed availability)
• Dinner: $9.00 / student / meal (contingent on enrollment)

Parking is available in various lots, and can be pro-rated for one month at rates ranging from $16.67/mo. to $81.23/mo. for visiting students and $40.00/mo. to $104.56/mo. for Rice students.  Interested students can arrange parking reservations through the Rice University Parking Service, and should refer to the “Contract Parking” area of their website: parking.rice.edu

 

CONTACT

Interested students should not hesitate to contact us with any questions about program details, application and enrollment or eligibility.

Rice School of Architecture

Grant Alford
Coordinator, LAUNCH summer program
Senior Lecturer
grant.alford@rice.edu

Lauren Neatherlin
School Administrator
lauren.neatherlin@rice.edu

Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

Carolee Schenk
Assistant Director
Schenk@rice.edu