Offcite Blog | Design. Houston. Architecure.

Strategies for Changing Houston

A model of a taco truck by Donna Kacmar’s design studio at the Initiatives for Houston exhibition.

The conversion of the Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) into a think tank of what Houston is, could be, and should be is worth the visit. The curated exhibition of Rice Design Alliance’s Initiatives for Houston Grant Program captures ten [...]

Connect the Dots Goes to Midtown

Map of HCC/Ensember area [Courtesy Morris Architects]

Cite Editor, Raj Mankad, and Editorial Chair, Christof Speiler, spoke on KPFT 90.1 FM radio’s Connect The Dots with host Robert Muhammad on Wednesday, December 9, 2009. They were on during the final fifteen minutes of the show to discuss the new issue of Cite (number 80) and an article [...]

Can Houston Feed Itself?

Illustration by Amir Kasem

The next issue of Cite is at the bindery. Enjoy this preview and subscribe or join the Rice Design Alliance now to get the whole issue.
It was soil, not oil, that determined the location of Texas’ largest cities. It was good dirt that drew people here—good dark, rich soil that is [...]

Houston’s First Pecha Kucha

Brasil Cafe and Domy Books Courtyard [iPhone photo Kathryn Fosdick]

Over one hundred thinkers, innovators, and intrigued intellectuals crowded into the back porch linking bastions of indie culture Domy Books and Cafe Brasil last Thursday to participate in Houston’s inaugural Pecha Kucha event. A mix of show-and-tell, open-mike night, and happy hour, Pecha Kucha has become [...]

Revisiting Cite 73: Houston Traditions

This issue, published in the winter of 2008, could not sit still. It looked forward, it looked back, and then forward again. It considered the reshaping of Houston institutions including the University of St. Thomas and Texas Southern University. The Rurban Horseshoe examined the historically black neighborhoods on the periphery of the city. Rafael Longoria [...]

Revisiting Cite 72: Who Owns the Street?

Originally published in Fall 2007, Cite 72 is now available free online in pdf format. Click on the titles below to download.
Letter from the Guest Editor
By 2035, the Houston Area will grow by 3.5 million people. That’s the forecast from the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC), and while there may be argument about the numbers, there’s [...]

Chipperfield Speaks at the Menil

David Chipperfield speaks at the Menil [Photo by Raj Mankad]

During his presentation to a packed audience at the Menil yesterday, David Chipperfield referred to the Richmont Square apartments as “the great big thing,” “this thing getting in our way,” and a “nonconforming” space. Charged with developing a master plan for an expansion of the facilities [...]

NOZONE: Houston’s Mayoral Forum on Land Use

NOZONE flier [Design by Mary Ellen Carroll]

Peter Brown, TJ Huntley, Gene Locke, Roy Morales, and Annise Parker will be giving their thoughts about legislation policy, education, transportation, and quality of life issues in a in a discussion on land use this Thursday, July 9, 2009, at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 5216 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, [...]

Chipperfield and the Menil Masterplan: An Interview with Josef Helfenstein

Possible site of future “gateway” to the Menil, Richmond Hall (left) and the Richmont Square Apartments (right) at the corner of Loretto and Richmond [Photo Raj Mankad]

In the May issue of Cite (78), Marc El-Khouri wrote about the recently announced selection of David Chipperfield Architects by the Menil Collection to create a new [...]

Gulf Coast Green Recap: Can Houston Become Denser?

A model made from Ike debris, on display at Gulf Coast Green, showing a rehabilitated and roof-supplied future for Maya’s Grocery in Galveston [Photo by Raj Mankad]

From April 16 to 17, several hundred environmentally-minded individuals gathered at the 2009 Gulf Coast Green Symposium. While keynote speaker Alex Steffen addressed the issues of a growing worldwide [...]