Rural Studio

The Rural Studio is a design-build architecture school and studio class run by Auburn University. It teaches students about the social responsibilities of the profession of architecture and provides houses and buildings for poor communities in rural west Alabama, US, part of what is called the "Black Belt".

History The studio was founded in 1993 by architects Samuel Mockbee and D. K. Ruth. Following Mockbee's death in 2001 and Ruth's change in position at the University in 2002, the leadership position of the studio went to UK-born architect and associate professor, Andrew Freear. The Rural Studio is based in Newbern, a small town in Hale County, Alabama. Many of its best-known projects are in the tiny community of Mason's Bend, on the banks of the Black Warrior River, as well as in the nearby Perry and Marengo counties. Each year the program builds several projects: a house by the second-year students, and 2-3 community-oriented thesis projects by groups of fifth-year students.

Community response Rural Studio is generally praised for serving underprivileged communities and specifically aiding to house impoverished families. The vision of Samuel Mockbee for the studio was to teach architecture students how to make connections with and create buildings that actually serve their target community. They are encouraged to find ways of incorporating nontraditional and cost-effective materials into their designs. For example, the first house built by The Rural Studio, the Hay Bale house, used large bricks of stucco covered hay bales as the main wall material.

However, the studio has also been criticized for the way its projects take advantage of the power relations inherent in gift-giving, and for mistaking elitist architectural and middle-class values, rather than the process of political emancipation and self-determination, as a way to improve the lives of the poor. Pushback is often regarding how the studio views themselves as superior to those they are serving and victimizes the poor communities they engage with.

Notable projects

Bryant "Hay Bale" House The first project ever completed by the Rural Studio was a house for the Bryant family of Mason's Bend. Working directly with Shepard and Alberta Bryant and their grandchildren as well as with the Hale County Department of Human Resources, the second-year students of Rural Studio created a unique and affordable place for this family to live. The most notable aspect of this design was the construction of the walls. They were created from stacked hay bales that had been coated in a cement plaster, providing insulation that was both inexpensive and environmentally sustainable. Other aspects of this design include a large front porch and plentiful natural ventilation access, both in response to the climate and culture of the area.

Safe House Black History Museum In the late 2010s, the studio renovated, restored, and made an addition to the Safe House Black History Museum in Greensboro, Alabama. The redesign was awarded third place in American Architect's Building of the Year competition.

$20K House The $20K House is an ongoing research project at the Rural Studio that seeks to address the pressing need for decent and affordable housing in Hale County, Alabama. When the project initiated in 2005, nearly 30% of the people in Hale County were living in poverty. Due to the lack of conventional credit for people with their level of income and insufficient knowledge about alternative sources of funding, mobile homes offer the only chance for home ownership for many. However, trailers deteriorate very quickly and depreciate over time, making them not ideal for long-term living.

The $20k House project is intended to design a model home that could be reproduced on a large scale and thereby become a viable alternative to a mobile home. The challenge is for the students to design a house with a budget of $20,000. The basis is that about $10,000-12,000 will go towards materials and the remainder will go to contracted labor. Once a truly successful model has been designed, the aim is to sell the houses in conjunction with the "502 Direct Loan" provided by the Rural Housing Service. The project began in 2005, and there have been at least 16 iterations of the house.

Projects By year. Some designers are listed.

2010–2011

Lion's Park - Phase VI (hub), Greensboro Safe House Black History Museum, Greensboro

2009–2010

Lion's Park - Phase V (playscape), Greensboro

2008–2009

Lion's Park - Phase IV (skateplay), Greensboro

2007–2008

20K - Bridge Greensboro 20K - Loft Greensboro 20K - Pattern Book Greensboro 20K - Roundwood Greensboro St. Luke's Church Renovation, Cahawba, Alabama

2006–2007

Lion's Park - Phase II (toilets), Greensboro Lion's Park - Phase III (surfacing), Greensboro Akron Boys & Girls Club - II $20K House - Phase III - Greensboro, Alabama St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Cahawba Leon, John Mansour, Candace Rimes, Jamie Sartory, Fuller Sherrod, Walker Stone, Nick Wickersham

2005–2006

Lion's Park - Phase I, Greensboro Hale County Hospital, Greensboro Hale County Animal Shelter, Greensboro $20K House - Phase II, Greensboro Michelle's House, Greensboro Anna Marie Bevil, Jason Blankenship, Brittany Creehan, Jacob Fyfe, Brittany Graeber, Jennifer Isenburg, Carrie Laurendine, Jonathan Mayhall, Don Mott, Brandon Rainosek, Haley Robinson, Christopher Terrell, Marcus Buckner-Perry, Justyn Chandler, Michelle Clark, Taylor Clark, Evan Dick, Lori Fine, Robert Hall, Drew Jerdan, Brett Randall Jones, Ben Krauss, Carolyn Norton, John Plaster, Dorothy Sherling, Casey Smith, Kathleen Webb, Terran Wilson

2004–2005

Perry Lakes Canopy Tower Adrienne Brady, Natalie Butts, Paul Howard, Coley Mulcahy Perry County Learning Center Dereck Aplin, Sam Currie, Amy Bell, Angela Hughey, Turnley Smith Christine's House, Mason's Bend, Hale County Steven Long, Amy Bullington Re-sourcing David Garner $20K House - Phase I, Hale County Kellie Stokes, Laura Noguera, Phillip March Jones, Hana Loftus, Min Joo Kim Willie Bell House, Mason's Bend, Hale County

2003–2004

Alabama Rural Heritage Center, Thomaston Abby Barnett Davis, Melissa Harold, Paul Kardous, Nathan Makemeson, Robert White Newbern Volunteer Fire Department, Newbern Will Brothers, Elizabeth Ellington, Matthew Finley, Leia Price Perry Lakes Park Bridge, Perry County Matthew Edwards, Lynielle Houston, Charlie Jorgensen, Sara Singleton Sub Rosa Pantheon, Newbern Carol Mockbee Patrick House, Newbern Outside In, Greensboro

2002–2003

Perry Lakes Toilets and Boardwalk, Marion Sarah Dunn, Matt Foley, Brannen Park, Melissa Sullivan Rural Heritage Center Gift Shop Emily McGlohn, Katie B. Johnston, John David Caldwell Sunshine School, Newbern Organic Farmer's Stand, Newbern Ola Mae Porch Newbern Little League Field, Newbern Jason A. Hunsucker, Jermaine Washington, Julie Hay, Patrick Nelson Music Man House, Greensboro dining hall, Newbern Matt Christopher, Kris Johnson, Albert Ulysses Mitchum II, Clark Todd Gollotte

2001–2002

Perry Lakes Cedar Pavilion Jennifer Bonner, Mary Beth Maness, Nathan Orrison, Anthony Tindill Antioch Baptist Church Jared Fulton, Gabe Michaud, William Nauck, Marion McElroy HERO Knowledge Cafe, Greensboro Andrea Ray, John McCabe, Daniel Sweeney, Matt Wilson Great Hall at Morrisette, Newbern Akron Senior Center Matthew Barrett, Jonathan Graves, Breanna Hinderliter, Joseph Yeager Shiles House Lucy House, Mason's Bend, Hale County Keith Zawistowski, Marie Zawistowski, James Tate, Ben Cannard, Kerry Larkin, Floris Keverling Buisman Architectural Ambulance

2000–2001

Newbern Baseball Club, Newbern Corrugated Cardboard Pod, Newbern Chantilly House, Newbern Bodark Amphitheatre, Newbern Akron Boys & Girls Club Sanders/Dudley House, Greensboro Newbern Playground, Newbern

1999–2000

Glass Chapel, Mason's Bend, Hale County Thomaston Farmer's Market Pods at Morrisette, Newbern Spencer House, Newbern Sanders/Dudley House, Greensboro Mason's Bend Basketball Court

1998–1999

Seed House HERO Children's Center, Greensboro Lewis House Supershed & Bathhouse, Newbern Spencer House, Newbern Sanders/Dudley House, Greensboro

1997–1998

Butterfly House, Mason's Bend, Hale County HERO Children's Center, Greensboro Lewis House Supershed & Bathhouse, Newbern Spencer House, Newbern

1996–1997

Goat House, Josh Cooper and Iain Stewart Butterfly House, Mason's Bend, Hale County William Austin, Clifford Brooks, Kristen Kepner Coleman, Joshua Daniel, Adam Gerndt, Jo Beth Gleason, Jeremy Moffet, Justin Patwin, Hunter Simmons, Elizabeth Stallworth, Samuel Watkins, William Whittaker Jr., Heather Wootten, Jeff Marteski, Timothy Sliger, Robert Sproull, Tommy Replogle, Jon Schumann, John Ritchie, Charlie Hughes, Jimmy Turner, Jeff Johnston, Akron Pavilion H.E.R.O. Playscape, Joe Alcock and Melissa Teng Greensboro

1995–1996

Wilson House, Mason's Bend, Hale County

1994–1995

Yancey Chapel, Sawyerville, Hale County (See pictures at http://architecture.myninjaplease.com/?p=321.) Hay Bale House, Mason's Bend, Hale County Wilson House, Mason's Bend, Hale County Supershed, Newbern

1993–1994

Smoke House, Mason's Bend, Hale County Hay Bale House, Mason's Bend, Hale County

Awards

2008 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, awarded to Andrew Freear Updated annually.

References

Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and Timothy Hursley, (2005) "Proceed and Be Bold: Rural Studio After Samuel Mockbee". Princeton Architectural Press. Samuel Mockbee, David Moos and Gail Trechsel. (2003) Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio. Birmingham Museum of Art. Andrea Oppenheimer Dean, photographer, Timothy Hursley. (2002) Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency. Princeton Architectural Press.

Rural Studio

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