Richmond, Virginia

The Rice House sits on a site that represents a richly layered mesh of cultural and ecological history ranging from pre-European settlement to present day. This planning effort identifies important physical assets and opportunities on the broader site while proposing a new set of landscape transformations and renovations associated with the evolving programmatic use of the house as an extension of the stewardship of the property by the Science Museum of Virginia.

The site is marked by important physical evidence of successive human inhabitation, ranging from the earliest American locks to an icon of mid-century modern architecture. The dramatic natural environment of the James River falls and the urban context of Richmond, VA, provide incredible opportunities for the synergistic merging of contemporary concerns for ecology, history, science and the arts.

The proposed plan for expands the site as an accessible asset to the public through the anticipated programming and management by the Science Museum of Virginia. In particular, this effort provides detailed design direction for the appropriate transformation of the site spaces and systems immediately connected to the recently renovated house.