Rural Studio

The Rural Studio is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University. It teaches students about the social responsibilities of the profession of architecture and provides good 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. It is led by UK-born architect Andrew Freear. Each year the program builds several projects: a house by the third-year students, and two to three thesis projects by groups of 3 to 5 fifth-year students. The Rural Studio has built more than 80 houses and civic projects in Hale, Perry and Marengo counties. The Rural Studio is based in Newbern, a small town in Hale County. Many of its best-known projects are in the tiny community of Mason's Bend, on the banks of the Black Warrior River.

The studio has 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.^[1]

Notable projects

Safe House Black History Museum

The studio renovated, restored, and made an addition to the Safe House Black History Museum in Greensboro, Alabama, in the late 2010s.^[2] The redesign was awarded third place in American Architect's Building of the Year competition.^[2]

$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. Nearly 30% of the people in Hale County live 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. Unlike a house, which is an asset for its owner, trailers deteriorate very quickly and depreciate over time. Mobile homes are also correlated with higher cancer rates due to the use of formaldehyde in their construction.^{[citation needed]}

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 to build a house for $20,000, ten to twelve thousand of which will go towards materials and the remainder 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^[3]

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, CahawbaLeon, 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[1]
- 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^[4]

References

^ Del Real, Patricio (2009). ""Ye Shall Receive": The Rural Studio and the Gift of Architecture". Journal of Architectural Education (1984-). 62 (4): 123–126. ISSN 1046-4883. JSTOR 40481072.
^ ^a ^b "Safe House Black History Museum". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ "Safe House Black History Museum". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ "Global Award for Sustainable Architecture". Cité - Architecture & Patrimoine. Updated annually.

Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and Timothy Hursley, (2005) "Proceed and Be Bold: Rural Studio After Samuel Mockbee". Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 1-56898-500-2
Samuel Mockbee, David Moos and Gail Trechsel. (2003) Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio. Birmingham Museum of Art. ISBN 0-931394-52-X
Andrea Oppenheimer Dean, photographer, Timothy Hursley. (2002) Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 1-56898-292-5