09/25/2026
At Rice University’s Sarofim Hall, MOSO® Bamboo N-durance® runs from the decking underfoot to the matching soffits overhead, carrying one material through the building’s open, covered outdoor spaces.
A student’s surroundings shape how they learn, and we stand by the value of intentional architectural design to foster this growth.
With many students, faculty, and visitors passing through Sarofim Hall every day, the space sees constant foot traffic that MOSO® is designed to thrive under. MOSO® Bamboo N-durance® is rated Durability Class 1 (EN 350) and Use Class 4 (EN 335), and has a whopping 5,819 lbf Janka hardness rating, beating out even the well-known Ipê hardwood (3,680 lbf). Thus, the material keeps pace with active use while complementing the building’s bold, open architecture.
N-durance® is made by crushing, steam-treating, and compressing bamboo into dense, hard boards. It’s made from the moso species of bamboo, which not only matures for harvesting in as little as five years, but continues to regrow from its vast root system after being cut. That means a resource that captures enormous amounts of carbon and renews itself for generations to come.
Thank you as always to the teams who brought this project to life:
• riceuniversity & Rice University | School of Humanities and Arts
• Grad Concept USA | Aluminum soffit rails
• Austin Industries | General contractor
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro | Design architect
• Jackson & Ryan Architects | Executive architect
• OJB Studios, a Populous Company | Landscape architect
• Clunn Acoustical Systems | Soffit installation
• Ruppert Landscape | Commercial landscaping
• US Lumber Brokers | MOSO® product distributor
• ORION | Slab and concrete
And to the individuals whose contributions helped make it possible: Allyson Duane, Eric Ochoa, Matthew Hester, Gwladys Petit, MBA, Tarah Brand, Rex Kennedy, Julian Pittman, Jerrod Clunn, Jenna Vineyard, Tim Arenas, Andrew Albers, and Reginald DesRoches.
