From the outset the University knew that to meet such aspirations, the new building’s technology had to be unmatched. To ensure against investing in systems that would soon become obsolete, Rice employed “just-in-time” decision-making to ensure it had the latest technologies upon move-in. Thus, the $2-million audio/video package was put out to bid as little as eight months prior to the completion date. To further abridge the installation process, all programming was done off-site by subcontractors and consultants prior to installation. Once installed, the preprogrammed systems merely needed minimal tweaking for problems before the building was completely functional.

With technology mirroring that found in major trading firms, the Jones building is itself a major tool for shaping and forming future executives: the 14,000-sf business information center provides students with everything from periodicals and annual reports to online access retrieval of the latest financial information. Two “capture” classrooms are equipped with technologies that can record the entire classroom experience and have the ability to broadcast video conferencing for collaboration outside the Jones school for distance learning. A finance center and trading room duplicates the environments found on Wall Street, in major trading firms and investment houses, granting students a glimpse of life in the financial world. Simulating possible future board meetings, the Dean’s conference room provides Internet access, two way teleconferencing, document camera, rear-screen projection, and a catering facility for 26.

The technology and learning isn’t limited to the just the classrooms however. The high-speed network with a comprehensive wireless overlay allows student and faculty to access the Internet throughout the building, whether in the 450-seat auditorium or the dining center that caters for 200. The Jesse H. Jones building also has a 487-car underground parking structure.

Project Information
Building Owner:		Rice University
Building Location:		Houston, Texas UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Classrooms and specialized labs
Project Delivery Method:		Construction Management
Project Timeline		Mar 2000 Construction Start Sep 2002 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$52,486,000
Construction Cost:		$49,400,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$137
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Atrium Auditorium Computers Conference Room Data Center Education Education: Classroom Education: Computer Lab Education: Lecture Or Seminar Hall Education: Library Education: Multimedia
Total GSF:		360,000
Project Team
Builder		Gilbane Building Company
Profile Created 03/02/2007
Last Updated 03/26/2007
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.