Rural Studio: Ree's Home
March 15th, 2024 | ZC | Education
“Everyone, rich or poor deserves a shelter for the soul...” – Sam Mockbee
During my undergraduate education at Auburn University College of Design + Construction, I had the opportunity to study at Rural Studio. Founded in 1993 by Sam Mockbee, Rural Studio is based in Newbern, Alabama, a small town in Hale County boasting a proud population of 133 residents. In the fall of 2018, I embarked on my first opportunity to study with Rural Studio which took place during the third year of the five year undergraduate curriculum. This design/build program provides a pragmatic approach to architecture in contrast to the typical theory driven academic studios. In West Alabama, the architectural theories weren’t without consequences. There are real clients, budgets, timelines, and the tangible praxis of architecture that carry significant responsibilities.
At face value the project was simple: a humble home for a local resident sited adjacent to her sister’s home. The home is part of a larger housing study started by the studio in 2004. This program was named the 20k Home and was started in an effort to make housing tenable for the local rural community. Although its original target price of $20k stuck as a nickname, the program mission is much greater than a budget number and speaks to a greater societal need that is relevant in everyone’s community. Since 2004, dozens of 20k Homes have been built. The iterative study strives to refine a model that could be simply built and comfortably afforded– following other living expenses– by a person living off Social Security or Temporary Assistance.
“Ree’s Home” is an iteration of a 20k home, “JoAnne’s Home.” Each iteration refines the process of constructing the homes while adjusting for it’s site and intended occupants. Ree’s Home was completed during the spring semester of 2018. The program consists of a single bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living space, and most important, a comfortable porch facing the street. Sixteen third-year students began where the fall semester left off with a concrete slab finished and continued construction to completion. In tandem, design and construction progressed, each layer of the home becoming tattooed with ad hoc sketches as details were refined in the field. Sheets of trace paper became OSB and 1/4” drawings grew to full scale 1:1 sketches. Every corner and junction of materials was scrutinized in an effort to find the simplest, most elegant solution. Custom light fixtures set the tone for the level of scrutiny that every detail received. The front porch was designed to provide easy and comfortable access from Ree’s home to her sister’s.
For myself and many of my colleagues, this was a critical point in the development of the lens through which our future work would and should be scrutinized. The design/build experience instilled in us a chronic curiosity in the relationships of materials, processes, and community. Architecture that is honest and gives a damn is the benchmark. With the desire for a deeper understanding of the context of projects, that understanding can be the driving factor for what a building says to its neighbors. In the spirit of Rural Studio and it’s founder…
“Proceed and Be Bold!” – Sam Mockbee
Photography by Jake Schirmer and Tim Hursley
