The program offers students insight into the professional world of architecture through one-hour presentations by successful architects. One member of the audience, fourth-year School of Architecture student Chris Kimball, came away inspired. Kimball described Appel as an architect with a vision. She stands for a lot of the things we're trying to do in this school. It's reassuring to see that the way we are used to thinking is marketable and that we can choose to practice architecture in that way.
Architecture really is about convictions.
Appel's presentation was one in a series of Friday afternoon gatherings at the Rice School of Architecture. The new program, called Office Hour, allows successful architects to give one-hour presentations to studio faculty and students. Each presentation is followed by refreshments and socializing. Office Hour is the idea of Lars Lerup, the William Ward Watkin Professor and dean of the School of Architecture. Thus the Office Hour is always followed by an 'Office Party' that allows personal interaction to follow suit.