RICE UNIVERSITY’S U-TURN AWAY FROM A MODERNIST OPERA HOUSE 
A recent Facebook post by architect Allan Greenberg appears to confirm his firm’s involvement with the Rice University opera house project, of which possible renderings and a model recently surfaced in another building on campus. The choice of Greenberg, a self-described classical architect who designed the university’s Humanities Building, represents a major reversal of ideology from the previously announced selection of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (designers of part of New York’s High Line, who once created a building shrouded perpetually in fog). The selection of DS+R was announced in March of 2014; Greenberg had begun to publicly mention involvement with the project by this past December. [Previously on Swamplot] Photo of Rice University opera house design model: Swamplot inbox
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Bleak.
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While I’m all for the traditional architecture of the older buildings on campus, the Humanities building looks like a cruel joke. Has anyone spent any time inside? It looks cheap and half-assed.
The blur house – God, what a joke. The Greenberg design looks awesome. I would change the interior colors a little but this looks like very solid, high quality work, not this weird stuff we are seeing more and more of. We have too much “modern” crap from the 70’s already. littering downtown. Just build something tasteful and nice. In 50 years, the Greenberg design will still be awesome and the blur building would be a campus joke.
Will newly hired Rice teacher Annise Parker be teaching her classes in this building?