On view in Houston as the first show to be installed with Rice School of Architectures new Karamuk Kuodesigned William T. Cannady Hall, The Sixth Sphere pulls together 18 entries to examine the effects of human intervention on Earth, the shared concern for the state of our planet, and models of design thinking that move forward with awareness. The exhibition, which closes on February 14, is curated by Brittany Utting, an assistant professor of architecture at Rice University and cofounder of the design and research collaborative HOME-OFFICE. Her curation proposes an unnatural addition to the Earths five natural spheresthe lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and atmospherein the form of a sixth sphere: the technosphere: the material, spatial, and technological expression of human production. The technosphere includes systems such as clean water, waste systems, electrical grids, factories, housing, data centers, and highways. Humanity has become dependent on the technospheres ever-increasing production over the years, but its growth has led to the degradation of our ecosystems and destabilization of our planet and its people. The exhibition suggests a world can exist in which we transform the technosphere to work with the natural systems of Earth rather than against them.The exhibition occupies the upper floor of Rice University School of Architectures new Karamuk Kuodesigned William T. Cannady Hall, in a long rectangular space adjacent to open workspaces. (Sean Fleming)To understand the relationship between the built environment and the technosphere, Utting organizes entries under three transcalar frameworks: the Molecular (M1), the Machinic (M2), and the Metabolic (M3). The Molecular explores the material systems of the technosphere and the associated projects cover themes of exploitation of the land and its people, placing the misuse of physical resources at the forefront of a geopolitical and environmental crisis. This section includes visual contributions from NEMESTUDIO; GRANDEZA STUDIO; Studio Muoto; Debbie Chen; Z4A Architects; and Alexandra Arnes, studio SOC + atelier shaa.The Machinic rethinks the infrastructure of the technosphere that humans depend on. Projects under this framework reframe architecture as a living machine, giving it the ability to interact harmoniously with the environment while also building upon it. This scale includes visual contributions from HOME-OFFICE, TAKK, (AB)NORMAL, Andrs Jaque / OFFPOLLINN + Miguel Mesa del Castillo, Common Accounts, and Curtis Roth.The projects reimagine social and political modelsand the future of the planet. (Sean Fleming)Lastly, the Metabolic understands the technosphere forces unnatural life cycles upon resources and land, resulting in inequities among people and nature. These projects reimagine social and political models, and, as a result, the future of the planet. This concept includes visual contributions from aldayjover architecture and landscape, Territorial Agency, Olalekan Jeyifous, Dogma, Present Future, and DESIGN EARTH. The Sixth Sphere occupies the upper floor of Cannady Hall in a long rectangular space adjacent to open workspaces. The exhibition covers three walls: There is an introduction on the first wall, the presentation of the 18 works on the long wall, and a concluding video projection on the third wall. Beautiful, intricate drawings and renders of dystopian landscapes strike the viewer when first walking up the stairs into the exhibition space. The images sit on steel panels, and white text fills the space around the images, expanding on each project. The steel backdrops fit well within Cannady Halls interiors, which are finished in muted tones, with a polished concrete floor, white-painted structure, and tall gray curtains. On the ground floor, a silver curtain, emblazoned with the overlapping circular graphic for the show, directs visitors upstairs.The exhibition design was handled by Studio Lin, who also worked with Utting to deliver the exhibition catalog. Two copies of the publication are available to read in the gallery. The title includes Unruly Spheres, an essay by Utting that establishes the scholastic context for the show. Utting previously explored this idea in, an issue she guest edited with Albert Pope. Some contributors, who were organized according to these six spheres, also have work in this current showing.Human dependence on the technosphere creates a vicious cycle of consumption and waste, as the exhibition spells out for visitors. (Sean Fleming)The show continues HOME-OFFICEs interest in architecture and technical assemblies. In Fall 2023, it displayed MESO-COSM: Medium Worlds, Worlding Mediums at the University of Houston and filed an op-ed about the project with AN. Uttings selections also overlap with ANs operations: NEMESTUDIO just won a 2024 Best of Design Award, and AN Interior has published coverage of TAKK and OFFPOLLINN. At the cost of the five natural spheres, human dependence on the technosphere creates a vicious cycle of consumption and waste. The projects highlighted in this exhibition bring each transcalar framework together to analyze our current systems and imagine ways in which we can mend them to combat environmental and social injustices. To ensure a safe future for the planet and its people, The Sixth Sphere presents design as the force to transform the technosphere.Rice University School of Architecture will hold a closing reception panel for The Sixth Sphere on February 7 at 5:00 p.m., moderated by Brittany Utting with guests Igor Bragado and Miles Gertler, Common Accounts; Curtis Roth, The Ohio State University; and John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rnnskog, Territorial Agency.Pooja Desai is a writer and researcher at the Community Design Resource Center at the University of Houston.