The following construction announcement was shared with the campus Aug. 10:
Dear Rice community,
In preparation for the fall semester, we wanted to update you on an important construction project that will impact the far west side of campus beginning in late August and through early spring 2027.
As part of Rice’s recently announced Gateway Project, a new covered athletics practice pavilion, the Patricia Lipoma Kraft ‘87 and Jonathan A. Kraft Football Pavilion, will be built just beyond Rice Stadium’s northwest corner to significantly enhance daily training for Rice student-athletes. Adjacent to both the Patterson Sports Performance Center and the existing outdoor practice field, the approximately 80,000-square-foot, open-air structure will feature a synthetic turf field beneath a split-gable roof designed to maximize airflow and cooling during Houston’s hot summer months.
The Kraft Pavilion will provide convenient access for and be used by all Rice Athletics teams, creating a seamless practice environment. Its open-air design will also allow the Owls to safely train during inclement weather while maintaining the outdoor feel players, athletes and coaches value. The state-of-the-art facility will also be available for major university and community events.
The inflatable practice facility currently in the west stadium parking lot, the Robert L. Waltrip Indoor Training Center, will be removed following the completion of Kraft Pavilion. This will make room for a redesigned space featuring expanded greenspace, an enhanced pedestrian pathway that creates a direct connection to Rice Village and improved access for fans and the surrounding community.
Staging and fencing for this construction project is scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 17. We anticipate completion by early spring.
Impacts on parking and bike track usage
The construction will limit the student, faculty, staff and visitor parking accessible via entrances 13B on Greenbriar Drive and 16 on Rice Boulevard. We are working with those impacted for alternative parking arrangements.
As previously announced, Beer Bike 2027 will remain at its current space, the Hackerman Field track (Greenbriar Lot) by Rice Stadium, as planning for the enhanced proposed event location at the Harris Bayou Recreation Field continues. We anticipate that only a short period of the project from early October to mid-November will require Hackerman Field to be offline for cycling, including Beer Bike practice. We are working closely with student groups to determine if there are suitable alternative locations for practice during this timeframe.
Due to the construction in the area, the Beer Bike 2027 track will need to be slightly altered for safety reasons, and we are collaborating with student groups to implement the most effective modifications. For the latest information and updates on the Beer Bike relocation and planning, please visit the Rice Program Council’s dedicated FAQ page.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we undertake this exciting project for our campus and beyond.
Sincerely,
Rick Mello, Associate Vice President for Campus Services and Sustainability, Division of Operations, Finance and Support
Brian Lindoerfer, Associate Vice President for Facilities, Planning and Capital Construction, Division of Operations, Finance and Support