He just needed to decide upfront what that price point was and then allow us to make the hard decisions associated with that budget. Regardless, when challenged, I told this leader that we could deliver buildings at any reasonable price point he wanted. He had also forgotten about the unique qualities of Rice University buildings that he appreciated, molded brick exteriors, integrated iconography, and, more recently, an art budget. He had forgotten that we already benchmarked costs with other institutional buildings in Houston, including other research facilities in the Texas Medical Center, and we routinely provided more building per dollar (based on building type). One of our senior leaders came back from an AAU meeting full of ideas about the cost of our buildings. I faced this same challenge at Rice a decade ago. The higher education arms race of the last forty years has also added to the cost of higher education buildings as universities ask for more unique services, equipment, and amenities embedded within the spaces they commission. Building codes, regulatory agencies, and policies and procedures add value but also add cost. Building systems for large buildings controlled to suit specific activities are complex and, again, costly. Institutional quality that stands up to the daily use of thousands of students in bathrooms, corridors, and classrooms is costly. Many of my other colleagues responded with those reasons. “Why to university building cost so much?” There are many reasons why buildings on a campus cost more per square foot to deliver than your home or local strip mall. Recently, a colleague at the Association of University Architects asked for help with a question each of us who has worked in higher education facilities and construction has been asked.
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