Rice Breaks Ground on the Arc, a Nearly 200,000-Square-Foot Research Hub in the Ion District
Rice University broke ground Friday on the Arc - seven floors of labs and offices next to the Ion, with Rice itself taking about 40 percent of the building and its new AI Foundry moving in. Completion is expected in the second quarter of 2028.
Rice University broke ground on Friday on the Arc, a nearly 200,000-square-foot research, corporate innovation and office building in Houston's Ion District, the university announced. The seven-story building will offer flexible lab and office space - floor plates of 28,000 to 31,000 square feet with 15-foot floor-to-floor heights - for Rice and other organizations, and Rice will be a lead tenant, occupying nearly 80,000 square feet, about 40 percent of the building. The Arc will share a plaza with the Ion building, extending the 12-block district that Rice powers in Midtown.
"The Arc is a significant investment in Rice's future and in Houston's continued growth as a center for innovation," said Robert T. Ladd, chairman of the Rice Board of Trustees. President Reginald DesRoches said the building will bring "Rice's extraordinary research and talent and Houston's impactful innovation ecosystem into even closer connection with the industries and innovators working to solve some of the world's most consequential challenges." Research in the building is expected to span artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, robotics, quantum science and engineering, and energy, and the project is designed to meet LEED Gold criteria.
The Arc will also be home to Rice's new AI Foundry, where faculty experts will work with industry partners on practical AI solutions, readiness assessments, proofs of concept and workforce training. The groundbreaking follows the university's recent announcement of a universitywide AI initiative to recruit 75 faculty members and expand AI-related courses and degrees. "The AI Foundry is exactly the kind of collaboration the Arc is designed to enable," said Provost Amy Dittmar.
The project builds on momentum at the Ion itself, whose corporate and industry partners include Chevron, Microsoft, Aramco, ExxonMobil, Oxy, Shell, United, Transocean and Woodside Energy, and whose co-working space, managed by Industrious, is fully occupied with more than 250 member companies. The Arc is being developed by Rice Real Estate Co. Construction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2028, and preleasing is now open.
