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.

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. 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. 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.

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

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