Matthew Rice

AIA, ALEP, LEED AP BD+C, MCPPO

Project Architect

At SMMA

  • Matt coordinates all disciplines—including SMMA’s subject matter experts and specialty consultants—to design, construct, and complete K-12 institutional projects
  • Focuses on understanding his clients’ educational needs closely, thinking beyond immediate problems to deliver considered, lasting designs 
  • Effectively leads teams with his commitment to responsiveness, organization, and transparency
  • Known for his thoughtful, community-oriented approach to achieve consensus and realize project success 

Driven by Technology

Leveraging design technology to advance quality and efficiency is an important facet of Matt’s career. When he first moved to the area and joined SMMA, he championed the adoption of information-modeling and visualization tools. Matt later transitioned to another firm, where he gained extensive experience working on charter schools. When he “boomeranged” back to SMMA, he was excited to share his knowledge of developing economically minded, lean practices for building schools—as well as to collaborate with the experts at SMMA. 

“I was thrilled to return and see an entire department devoted to Design Technology here,” he explains. “Not only do these tools help to increase design clarity and keep costs down, they allow us to interpret large amounts of data and bring an added dimension of analysis to the entire process.” 

Passion Project 

A resident of Somerville, Matt is thrilled to work on Somerville High School, one of the firm’s most recent commissions. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to improve my community. It’s a very personal project, since my children will attend school there once construction is complete,” he says. “It’s also a great subject of discussion at birthday parties; everyone wants to learn more about the new building and how the design is coming along.”  

“Contributing to projects that have a positive social impact is one of the highest callings for an architect,” explains Matt. “I find public school projects very rewarding. The clients are always tremendously deserving and appreciative. This one building does so much good: it increases quality of life and is among a community’s greatest assets.”