The Rice School of Architecture is thrilled to welcome six new faculty members in spring 2025: Wang Shu, Lu Wenyu, Alan Russell, Salvador Macías Corona, Magui Peredo Arenas, and Diego Quirarte Contreras. These esteemed educators and practitioners bring a dynamic spectrum of global perspectives and professional excellence that will enrich the school’s commitment to advancing architectural discourse and cultivating community.
“Each of these remarkable individuals contributes to the diversity of thought and creativity that defines our school. Their arrival reflects our ongoing mission to engage architecture’s most pressing questions through innovative pedagogy and critical inquiry,” said Igor Marjanović, William Ward Watkin Dean of the Rice School of Architecture.
Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu join the school as Cullinan Visiting Professors, teaching a Research Platforms studio focused on a site in Hangzhou, China. As founders of Amateur Architecture Studio, their work champions contemporary expressions of Chinese architectural traditions. Wang, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate and 2023 inductee to the French Academy of Architecture, is globally recognized for projects like the Ningbo Historic Museum and the Xiangshan Central Campus of the China Academy of Art, named one of the “25 Most Significant Works of Postwar Architecture” by the New York Times. Lu chaired the 2024 RIBA International Prize jury and has served as a UNESCO cultural heritage juror. Together, their practice redefines the intersection of modernity and heritage.
Estudio Macías Peredo, comprising Salvador Macías Corona, Magui Peredo Arenas, and Diego Quirarte Contreras, joins the school as visiting lecturers, teaching a research platform studio focused on the ancient city of Izamal in Yucatán.. Based in Guadalajara, Mexico, and known for its award-winning practice, the firm explores architecture’s capacity for cultural and environmental resonance. From participating in the Mexico Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture to receiving the Emerging Voices prize from the Architectural League of New York, the firm’s work has garnered international recognition. Its publications, including Patios y Pirámides / Courtyards and Pyramids (El Croquis, 2024), exhibitions, and projects (e.g., Casa Escondida), exemplify the firm’s dedication to place-based innovation.
Alan Russell, executive director of Rice University’s Disability Resource Center and ADA Coordinator, will serve as a lecturer, teaching a course on design, disability, and inclusion. With extensive experience in accessibility and inclusion, Russell’s experience spans roles in the United Kingdom and the United States, including a consultancy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and contributions to the Houston Commission on Disabilities. His expertise bridges critical conversations on design ethics and inclusive practices in architecture.
For more information about our new faculty, visit arch.rice.edu.
Media contact: Rice School of Architecture, Leah Ray, Consulting Communications Director, leahray@rice.edu, T +1 312-498-2591.
About the Rice School of Architecture
The Rice School of Architecture is an international center of design research, experimentation, and debate that engages and reconstructs our world in the most imaginative and holistic ways. Thirty-four faculty and twelve staff offer our 131 undergraduate and sixty-two graduate students a personalized learning experience. We educate the next generation of architects to stand at the forefront of our discipline and to embody the dual role of public intellectual and agile practitioner as they design for a world in flux.
