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Rolling from 29 to 30 years, we have lots to celebrate. In the past 12 months, Rural Studio was recognized with two major awards. Our students started, built, or completed seven projects. The Front Porch Initiative helped communities build nine homes across the Southeast. The Wastewater Demonstration Project broke ground on the new wastewater system for Newbern. And the Farm gave us 6061 pounds of nutritious produce. We proudly describe those accomplishments in this year’s newsletter and look forward to 30 more years of valuing the rural.
VALUE THE RURAL
Rural Studio is embarking on our 30th year in Hale County, and I have spent 24 years in Newbern. Someone recently asked me to name the project I’m most proud of—I can’t. They have all offered learning and insight, for all of us, not just for students, and of course, if I attempt the impossible and name one, 1,600 other students would hate me! I am very proud that we have stayed in one place and are “in it for the long haul.” We have evolved our understanding, and frankly, we have learned that the building itself is the easy part. Systemic issues like land ownership, as well as access to fresh food, housing that’s affordable, clean water, and reliable wastewater systems, are the real elephants in the room. And they can’t be ignored.
One such issue we are beginning to address is wastewater. We’ve long invested in engineered wastewater systems for projects, with these systems running as much as 25 percent of the project material cost, and even then, they’re likely to fail. The thick, chalky clay soil of the Black Belt was exposed after long, intensive mono-cultivation washed away the beautiful, rich, black topsoil; what’s left is excellent for building catfish ponds, but it’s terrible at filtering human effluent. For many people—us and our neighbors—that wastewater with its raw sewage ends up sitting in our yard. It contaminates wells used for drinking water. We work in it, and our neighbors’ kids play in it. The sewage bears bacteria, viruses, microscopic parasites, and nitrates. It’s a public health disaster, and recently, one that we are tackling head on.
Low population density in rural areas makes municipal treatment plants impractical. In these rural places, failed systems and “straight-piping” have led to public health crises. The problem does not discriminate. Even Rural Studio’s facilities have been affected. Rural Studio’s own Emily McGlohn has been involved in spearheading the issue locally. I am writing this letter to you after sitting in our community room in Morrisette among a consortium of senators, local politicians, engineers, scientists, local activists, and community members gathered to enact solutions. Our next step at Rural Studio: replace our own broken system and act as a guinea pig for a design system that our neighbors throughout Newbern and on the outskirts can plug into, using financial resources from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Our goal is to help illustrate workable solutions to the wastewater problems in the Black Belt and beyond. Of course, our work on systemic issues didn’t start with wastewater. In 2004, we directed our efforts more intentionally toward housing that’s affordable but dignified and beautiful. These so-called “20K Homes” couldn’t be pinned down to $20,000, but they were a seed of what was to come later with the Front Porch Initiative. At the same time, we shifted into wood research with the Newbern Firehouse and Town Hall, exploring how local building resources connect to sustainability. In 2010, we launched Rural Studio Farm, and about five years ago, we redesigned it, diving into fresh food access issues.
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BUILDING T HE STRUCTURE IS THE SMALLEST, EASIEST PART OF THE COMPLEX
AIA Gold medalist Marlon Blackwell calls places like ours “flyover country.” Just like Marlon, who works in northwest Arkansas, we’ve set roots in a humble location, perhaps even unfashionable to some, though they’ve clearly never experienced it. Yet the college and university have supported Rural Studio in our work. Kudos to them for their faith and long-term vision. And to our great delight, our work caught the attention of Cooper Hewitt, garnering the National Design Award you read about last year, and then the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, earning a Medal in Architecture. This fall, we were surprised with the Grant for Young Artists from the Japan Art Association’s 2023 Praemium Imperiale. Although it’s deeply meaningful to be honored in such ways, even more important is the platform each award gives Rural Studio to champion the rural. Some of our research and projects aren’t the charming, visually compelling subjects captured by Timothy Hursley, with his photographic expertise. Yet, precisely because of our communityfocused work, we continue to draw some of the greatest critical minds in architecture and allied fields, who spend two full days on the ground here. Students often have no idea what a privilege it is (let alone the cost if they billed us!) to connect to these greats. On the first day, the consultant architects perform reviews, and on the second day, they sit with students and charette. To sit and draw with Frank Harmon—I would have died for that education! A few years after graduation, though, our alumni begin to understand the privilege.
EQUATION TO SOLVE
Also about five years ago, we held a housing conference right here in the Newbern Town Hall that was attended by the big players in housing and mortgages, including representatives from Fannie Mae, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), USDA Rural Development, Regions, and a bunch of other organizations. After a great discussion among “like minds,” the head of the Fannie Mae contingent declared, “This is all very nice. We have had these conversations before, and nothing happens; then we meet again a year later and talk about it, and still nothing happens. I hope this meeting can be different!” And it was.
It led to the birth of the Front Porch Initiative (FPI), much more than an outgrowth of the 20K Homes. The Front Porch team is now working with 16 partners across eight states, building houses and addressing complicated issues far from Newbern, but with housing prototypes all developed here by a bunch of 19–22-year-olds! Rusty Smith, Mackenzie Stagg, and Betsy Farrell Garcia have just been joined in this work by a new addition, Christian Ayala. Imagine our work reaching eight states—so far!
In last year’s lineup, we had visits from Hank and Julie of Koning Eizenberg in Los Angeles; Frank Harmon, Katherine Hogan, and Vinny Petrarca from North Carolina; Marlon Blackwell from Arkansas; David Baker from San Francisco; Andrew Berman from New York City; Roberto de Leon from Kentucky; Dan Wheeler, Joe Burns and Pete Landon, from Chicago; Kim Clements and Joe Schneider of JAS from Seattle; and, nearest to home, Anne Marie and Roy of Duvall Decker from Jackson, Mississippi—just to name a few! All amazing folks!
Speaking of great speakers: my partner in crime, Rusty Smith, recently was promoted to full Professor! We celebrate his promotion alongside Rural Studio’s accomplishments over 30 years, and we hope you will help us keep this good work going through our new 30th anniversary endowment campaign. We are looking for 30 donors, or donor groups, to pledge $30,000 over the next five years. The endowment will provide a foundation for funding student projects in the future, keeping Rural Studio deeply rooted in Hale County. We also want to thank Auburn for its ongoing support; with funding from the university, we are improving the Red Barn, updating and renovating this historic building that has been so vital to our students’ learning for 22 years.
We continue to “do and make” with a “can-do attitude.” We continue to scrutinize what should be built, meaning sometimes we have to make the tough-for-students decision after designing to not build. Most of all, we continue to let place seep into our pores and teach us that architecture is holistic, and that building the structure is the smallest, easiest part of the complex equation to solve.
In the next year, we will continue to work toward solutions and help the world value the rural.
30TH ANNIVERSARY PIG ROAST
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Let’s celebrate our alumni! Each year, we invite a dozen or so alumni to come back to Hale County and share what they’ve been up to in a short, PechaKucha-style lecture format: 20 slides, 20 seconds each. This special evening, with dinner and music, is the perfect kick-off to our Pig Roast two-day extravaganza!
Visit ruralstudio.org/2024pigroast to learn more and RSVP to join us in the celebration.
UPCOMING EVENTS PRESS
Praemium Imperiale: 2023 Arts Awards Showcase Creativity and Sustainability JAPAN Forward | Web | September 13, 2023
Hillary Rodham Clinton Honours British Architect Andrew Freear in the Praemium Imperiale Awards Architecture Today | Web | September 13, 2023
Serpentine Pavilion Architect Wins Praemium Imperiale 2023 Architects’ Journal | Web | September 12, 2023
Wynton Marsalis, Theater Director Robert Wilson among Global Arts Recipients to Be Honored by Hillary Clinton at White House The Hill | Web | September 12, 2023
2023 Praemium Imperiale White House Program The White House YouTube Channel | Web | September 12, 2023
Architecture School Opens Student-Designed Emergency Shelter, Family Home in West Alabama CoStar | Web | August 30, 2023
Auburn Rural Studio Builds Emergency Shelter in Uniontown WAKA 8 Action News | Web, TV | August 25, 2023
Rural Studio Celebrates 30 Years with New Projects, Fundraising Effort Black Belt News Network | Web | August 22, 2023
‘Cluster’ Water Treatment System to Be Tested in Black Belt; Leaders Say More Community Buy-in Needed Alabama Daily News | Web | August 08, 2023
By Design: 36 of the South’s Architectural Wonders Atlanta Magazine | Web | April 11, 2023
The Alabama Ramble #1: Architectural Intrigue and Famous Pie in Greensboro The Sunrise News | Web | April 07, 2023
SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
The annual Pig Roast & Valediction Ceremony is an all-day celebration of the year’s work. Students, faculty, visitors, and staff visit each active project site, hear from each student team, and afterwards, enjoy a catfish and BBQ dinner, followed by a one-of-akind valediction ceremony, music, and fireworks!
Rural Studio’s Andrew Freear Receives 2023 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture Architectural Record | Web | March 06, 2023
Madison Housing Organization Breaks Ground on Replacement Home Program: ‘There’s Hope Again’ Asheville Citizen Times | Web | March 04, 2023
Andrew Freear Wins Jefferson Medal World-Architects | Web | March 02, 2023
Rural Studio Director Andrew Freear Named Winner of the 2023
Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture Archinect | Web | March 02, 2023
Rural Studio’s Andrew Freear Named Recipient of 2023
Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Architecture Auburn University, The Newsroom | Web | March 01, 2023
UVA, Monticello Announce Recipients of 2023
Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals UVA Today | Web | February 28, 2023
Andrew Freear + Rural Studio 2023 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Architecture
UVA School of Architecture | Web | February 28, 2023
Federal Program to Aid Hinton with Affordable Housing
Bluefield Daily Telegraph | Web | February 27, 2023
Auburn Partners with Land Trust on Workforce Home
The Apalachicola Times | Web | February 27, 2023
Housing, Food, Air, and Water The Architectural League of New York | Web | October 24, 2022
Experts Say These are the Top 5 Barriers to Affordable Housing in Rural Alabama Montgomery Advertiser | Web | October 19, 2022
AWARDS
RECIPIENT OF THE 2023 THOMAS JEFFERSON MEDAL IN ARCHITECTURE
We are deeply honored that Director and Wiatt Professor Andrew Freear and Rural Studio was selected for the 2023 Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture. The Architecture Medal is one of three (sometimes four) themed medals granted annually, each representing fields in which Jefferson “excelled and [that he] held in high regard”: architecture, law, and citizen leadership, and in some years, in global innovation. The Medals are bestowed jointly by the University of Virginia (UVA) and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. This Medal is the highest external honor granted by UVA, which does not grant honorary degrees, and celebrates the recipients as exemplars in their endeavors.
Architecture is the original Medal category, and Mies Van der Rohe was the first recipient in 1966. Other past recipients in architecture include Alvar Aalto (1967), Jane Jacobs (1996), and more recently, Francis Kéré (2021) and Kenneth Frampton (2022). We are grateful that the Foundation runs Monticello as an international Site of Conscience to “engage the public with a deeper understanding of the past and inspire action to shape a just future,” and encouraging such difficult but necessary conversations. We follow in the tradition of past recipients who have seen the Medal as an opportunity to focus on elements of such a “just future.”
RURAL STUDIO: JAPAN ART ASSOCIATION AWARD
On September 12, the Japan Art Association (JAA) announced its selection of Rural Studio as a 2023 recipient of the Grant for Young Artists. Wiatt Professor and Director of Auburn University Rural Studio Andrew Freear traveled to the White House to receive the Grant on behalf of the Studio.
In 1988, on its 100th anniversary, the JAA established the Praemium Imperiale, a global arts prize to honor Prince Takamatsu and annually given to artists in painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/ film. In 1997, the Praemium Imperiale expanded to include an annual Grant for Young Artists, most often given to organizations rather than individuals. The nominating team identifies those who “actively contribute to the development of young artistic talent.” Each year an international advisor to the JAA selects the Grant’s recipient(s) from among the worthy nominees. This year, Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the international advisor and selected Rural Studio and the Harlem School of the Arts for the Grant. Rural Studio is the first recipient in architecture in the Grant’s 27year history.
We couldn’t be more delighted! It’s heartening to see architectural education recognized and supported. It’s especially encouraging to see the rural take a spotlight. The ceremony was the icing on the cake and featured not only the honorees but also First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Honorary Advisor Mr. David Rockerfeller, Jr., and Chairman of the JAA Mr. Hisashi Hieda.
In that vein, we are using this recognition to highlight persistent housing inequities in rural America, inequities often arising from the legacy of human enslavement, a reality many would like to dismiss. Professor Freear traveled to Monticello to accept the award on Founder’s Day—April 13, Mr. Jefferson’s birthday. This celebration takes place each year in the UVA’s Academical Village. Other recipients were Jason Rezaian (citizen leadership) and Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju (law). Mr. Rezaian was imprisoned for 544 days in Iran on false charges of espionage when he was Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post. Since his 2016 release, he has “used his platform to fight for the freedom and the liberty of others.” Ms. Guruswamy and Ms. Katju were honored but could not attend in person because they were tending to their marriage equality legal case in India, continuing the critical justice-oriented work that prompted their selection for the Medal in Law.
In the afternoon, Professor Freear delivered his public talk, starting with how deeply honored Rural Studio is to have been selected. He noted that this year’s medal acknowledges how place-situated, people-centered work is critical and how housing cannot be addressed in isolation from other issues but instead must be tackled by iteratively designing. He further commented that the
by
“The pursuit of happiness is a harder pursuit for some, but one that can be eased if we work together and reinvest in the rural.”
ANDREW FREEAR
2023 Medal “‘recognizes that ‘the pursuit of happiness,’ the right to which Jefferson enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, is a harder pursuit for some, but one that can be eased if we work together and reinvest in the rural.” And as we would expect, he encouraged attendees to recognize the interconnectedness of rural challenges and to support activities and research that make sustainable, equitable, dignified rural living possible.
Photo
Sanjay Suchak
Photo Courtesy of Japan Art Association
IN THE BOOKS
This summer, we celebrated the completion of two 5th-year projects, C.H.O.I.C.E. House and Patriece’s Home. Andrew Freear, Director of Rural Studio, praises the students and their projects: “These homes celebrate and serve rural communities and families, reflecting the best of Rural Studio’s mission. I am proud of the student teams, their important work, and their exciting futures.”
C.H.O.I.C.E . HOUSE
STUDENTS: AC Priest, Davis Benfer, Hailey Osborne, and Yi Xuan (Raymond) Teo
FACULTY: Andrew Freear, Steve Long, John Marusich
LOCATION: Uniontown, Alabama
PROJECT BLOG LINK: aub.ie/choicehouse
PROJECT COMPLETED: August 2023
“The design of the C.H.O.I.C.E. House is something that families will love. They will be able to transition at the C.H.O.I.C.E. House—a home, not just a hotel room.”
EMEFA BUTLER
The 5th-year team of AC, Davis, Hailey, and Raymond Teo designed and built a flexible duplex for C.H.O.I.C.E., a community organization in Uniontown, AL.
C.H.O.I.C.E.
connects residents with much-needed services related to food, education, and housing. This house, a flexible duplex, will be its first emergency shelter for recently homeless individuals and families. It is also a prototype home: in the coming years, C.H.O.I.C.E. hopes to construct another house on the same site, using this project as a model for both design and construction techniques. The two duplexes will share resources like laundry facilities and outdoor recreation.
C.H.O.I.C.E. House features two living spaces that can accommodate various family sizes and needs. Each side
contains a core space with a kitchenette and bathroom, along with adaptable bedroom and living areas that can function as a dining room, living room, or additional sleeping space. The house also features a wide front porch that provides more living space and encourages social gathering.
The C.H.O.I.C.E. House team members have graduated and started new exploits. Davis moved to Portland, Oregon; Haley moved to Spain to work as a language and culture coordinator for a year; AC is working at Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, Alabama; and Raymond stayed on at Rural Studio to complete the project and then went off to find his next adventure.
Photos by Timothy Hursley
PATRIECE’S HOME
STUDENTS: Adam Davis, Daniel Burton, Laurel Holloway, and Lauren Lovell
FACULTY: Andrew Freear, Steve Long, John Marusich
LOCATION: Greensboro, Alabama
PROJECT BLOG LINK: aub.ie/patriece
PROJECT COMPLETED: August 2023
The 5th-year team of Adam, Daniel, Laurel, and Lauren completed Patriece’s Home for our neighbors, Patriece and her kids. The design provides a flexible, two-story house that offers more space for varying and multigenerational families in a small footprint. In rural areas like Hale County, one family will live in the same home for many generations, often constructing additions to the home that can compromise its structure. Patriece’s Home will adapt as the number of occupants and their relationships change, without alterations or additions. The first floor of Patriece’s Home consists of two independent units that can convert to one main unit as needed. The main unit includes a kitchen, living room, and dining room. The second unit, or “granny annex,” has two bedrooms, a bathroom, small kitchenette, and laundry area. A stair to the second floor is accessed in the main unit; that floor has two-and-a-half bedrooms and a large bathroom. When desired, the dividing door on the first floor can be opened so that the main unit can access the second unit’s “granny annex” rooms and transform the house into a single-family, four-anda-half-bedroom home. The Patriece’s Home team also graduated! Adam is working with friend and consultant Kiel Moe on a project in Chicago, Illinois; Daniel is working at Seay, Seay & Litchfield Architects in Montgomery, Alabama; Laurel is working with Brian MacKay-Lyons as a resident at the Ghost Lab in Nova Scotia, Canada; and Lauren is working at Fuqua & Partners Architects in Huntsville, Alabama.
PIG ROAST
FRIDAY, APRIL 28–SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023
Homes were toured, alumni speakers spoke, fireworks bedazzled, and BBQ and catfish were enjoyed by all.
Pig Roast weekend kicked off on Friday, April 28th, with our new annual tradition: Alumni Lectures. The evening began with a delectable meal at Horseshoe Courtyard in Greensboro provided by Mo Kitchen of The Stable and Sarah Cole of Abadir’s, followed by the Alumni Lectures with seven extraordinary alumni from around the country. Louis V provided the dancing music!
On Saturday, we toured all of our active projects, got the latest scoop on our initiatives, and saw the showcase of History Class watercolors and Woodshop work. We enjoyed both lunch and our dinner of roast pig plus Merc fried catfish, at Morrisette House. The Debbie Bond Blues Band weathered the venue change smoothly. Frank Harmon (Frank Harmon Architects) delivered this year’s grad speech. And of course, we capped the night with the Wiffle Dust cannon and fireworks!
We must give a huge shoutout to all of our Pig Roast sponsors! Alabama Power; BDA Farm; City Furniture; Greensboro Pie; Hale County Hospital; Harvest Select Catfish; NAPA Auto Parts; Parker Tire & Muffler; Peoples Bank; Reynolds Electric; Sweetbriar Tea & Coffee; Blue Shadows B&B; Dozier Hardware; The Greensboro Depot; Holmestead Company; M&M Mustang; Newbern Mercantile; The Partridge Berry; Seale, Holmes & Ryan, LLC; Stillwater Machine; the Smelley family; The Stable; Citizens Bank; Moseley Feed and Seed; Greensboro Nutrition; Superior Metal Works; Clary’s Country Market; Patrick Braxton; and Wood Fruitticher!
ALUMNI LECTURES
For this year’s Alumni Lectures, we met again in the Project Horseshoe Farm Courtyard in Greensboro, Alabama, to hear from seven stellar graduates in a PechaKucha-style lecture format: 20 slides, 20 seconds each. They are from all across the United States and shared their experiences working for private architectural firms, campus architecture divisions, university programs, and nonprofits. The Alumni Lectures has become one of our favorite events of the year!
MARY MELISSA (YOHN)
TADDEO ’12
Auburn, AL / Lions Park Landscape
Originally from Auburn, Mary Melissa graduated in 2012. She began her career at Tuck-Hinton Architects (now Anecdote Architectural Experiences) in Nashville and worked on several Adaptive Reuse projects at Jack Daniels, the new headquarters for the Country Music Association, and the Expansion of Nashville’s Music City Center. Later, she joined Gresham Smith and rose to Associate in the Corporate + Urban Design studio, specializing in large-scale urban planning and mixed-use development projects nationally, such as Nashville Yards, a 14-acre office / entertainment district. In 2020, she and her husband, Peter, returned to Auburn. Mary Melissa currently serves as a Campus Architect & Design Project Manager for AU Facilities Management.
ROBERT WHITE ’04
Nashville, TN / Rural Heritage Center Headquarters
Born and raised in the misty hills of north Alabama, Rob is an Architect and Urban Designer at HASTINGS in Nashville. He has worked across the country, developing a depth of experience designing various project typologies and has worked on both smallscale projects and masterplans. His earlier career experience in New York City and D.C. honed his interest in built environments’ ability to shape and influence the quality of life. He sees the opportunity for design to elevate the experience and perception of the everyday. Rob also holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, where he has taught the NY/Paris Intro to Urban Design Studio. At home, he loves taking any opportunity he can to get into trouble with his two kids, Bobby and Alice.
CHRIS CURRIE ’10
San Antonio, TX / Safe House Black History Museum
Chris joined Lake|Flato in 2015 and has specialized in high-end residential and hospitality projects notable for their attention to craftsmanship and connection to place. He enjoys the design process with clients, consultants, and contractors, and seeks unique design solutions characterized by these collaborations. Chris brings a detailed design eye and a love for craft to all his work. He currently manages Lake|Flato’s woodshop, and when he is not at work, you can find him woodcarving.
JAMIE SARTORY ’10
San Antonio, TX / Lions Park Playscape
Jamie has more than ten years of architectural experience in a broad variety of project sizes and types. She is passionate about creating projects that immerse occupants in the landscape while paying homage to local context and sense of place. She is always excited to “figure it out”/ solve the puzzle when it comes to finding the right balance and solving the complexities of a design challenge. Jamie loves to cook, travel, and do puzzles, and she has been an integral part of the Lake|Flato hire and recruitment team since 2018.
PATRICK NELSON ’03
Birmingham, AL / Newbern Little League
Patrick is a registered architect and designer living in Birmingham, AL. After graduation, he worked at Davis Architects from 2004 to 2011, focusing on educational and institutional work. Projects included designs for for Auburn University, Samford University, and the University of Alabama. For the past 12 years, he has been working for himself, focusing on small residential and commercial projects. In 2018, he opened a homey neighborhood bar with friends. Mom’s Basement is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham. He still practices architecture while managing the bar. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and going to see live music.
EVAN FORREST ’09
Chicago, IL / Lions Park Skatepark
Raised in the northeastern foothills of Alabama by an art teacher and a contractor, Evan was influenced very young by the arts and the built environment. That’s ultimately why he enrolled in Auburn’s School of Architecture in 2004. After completing Lions Park Skatepark for his thesis at Rural Studio, he moved to Chicago and immersed himself in the architecture of the city while working at Gensler, 4240 Architecture, and Woodhouse Tinucci Architects. Now at Prospect Studio, he has reunited with Rural Studio alumni to return to the rural landscapes that initially inspired him. On rare occasions, he can even be spotted hopping back on his skateboard.
RASHEDA (MCCALPINE) WORKMAN ’00
Tuscaloosa, AL / Mason’s Bend Basketball Court RaSheda was born and raised in the Black Belt and came to work with Rural Studio through the Outreach program. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s degree in Health Studies, she has used her experiences to successfully implement initiatives that promote public health, close achievement gaps, and develop rural and underserved areas into sustainable communities. She has worked in all levels of government and throughout the community and nationally by serving in congressional support positions. Most recently, she joined Stillman College to serve as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. RaSheda also applies her expertise as she serves on multiple influential state- and university-level boards and commissions, including Governor Ivey’s Alabama STEM Council. She is proud of her family: husband Eric Workman and their children Marcus Alexander and Amani Simone.
ROSIE’S HOME
The 3rd-year students continued construction on Rosie’s Home, a phased house being built under a post-frame roof that was erected early in construction. In Dick’s History class, the 3rd-years also continued the Rural Studio tradition of creating drawings and watercolors that explored local buildings. Rosie’s Home was the focus of Woodshop Class, where the 3rdyears created cabinets for the kitchen and bathroom.
ROSIE’S HOME
Dynamic interior spaces, healthful materials, and cohesive cladding strategies are the name of the game for 3rd-year students’ next phases at Rosie’s Home. In the past academic year, two groups of students brought bright ideas and fresh energy to the project. In collaboration with Jen Pindyck’s 4th-year interior architecture studio, students in Newbern explored relationships between materials, light, and space that contribute to the health and wellbeing of occupants. With help from our consultants— Kim Clements, Joe Schneider, and Joe Burns—the students’ ideal concept of an airy, vaulted ceiling in a 20K Home is reality.
In another partnership with the Front Porch Initiative and with funding from Auburn University’s Creative Work and Social Impact Scholarship (CWSIS), healthful material choices came into focus for Rosie’s Home. Insulation made from sheep’s wool, hemp, and mineral wool will all be used to healthfully keep Rosie and Frankie comfortable. Open joint wood cladding—on the exterior porch wall and the front roof—is a solution for making the house feel like a home under a pole barn. We continue to be grateful to Rosie and Frankie for their patience as this project comes to a close and look forward to welcoming them home in the next academic year.
STUDENTS: FALL 2023 Bailey Kennedy, Caitlin Ranheim, Casey Dillard, Cayden Davis, Emma Avery, Emma Johnson, Elizabeth Helms, Hannah Wieland, Jack Felder, Kati Warner, Kylie Kendall, Luke Bradberry, McAllister Tucker, Shannon Brennan, Tanner Wallace
SPRING 2023 Canon McConnell, Finn Downes, Junting Song, Lucas Henderson, Trenton Williams
FALL 2022 Alex Tate, Amanda Kaase, Ellis Smith, Eric Miles, Gabriel Brown, Jenna Webb, John Ratley, Paxtyn Whitney, Rachel Klein, Tricia Smith
SPRING 2022 Jon Hunt Ficken, Anna Leach, Sarah Recht, Will Robinson, Grant Schurman, and Julia Whitt
FALL 2021 Laura Forrest, Peter Harpring
FACULTY: Emily McGlohn, Judith Seaman
LOCATION: Newbern, Alabama
BLOG LINK: aub.ie/rosieblog
PROJECT STATUS: Ribbon cutting at Pig Roast on April 27, 2024
Photo by Timothy Hursley
HISTORY CLASS
INSTRUCTOR: DICK HUDGENS
The history and watercolor class continues its successful mission: to provide 3rd-year students an opportunity examine local building designs, materials, and methods. Visiting buildings in West Central Alabama from the 19th century through the present, 3rd-years explore both practical and aesthetic influences on local architecture. Students learn why and how this architecture responded to the climate, available materials, and lifestyles of the inhabitants.
Through visits to local farm buildings, a general store, and utility buildings, students
cultivate design skills for their studio project while learning the cultural significance of design process and principles. They study houses of different scales and materials, from antebellum mansions to slave quarters and 20th-century tenant quarters. Students draw a plan, section, or elevation of a building on site, usually creating two drawings per building each week. These drawings, along with biweekly watercolor assignments, provide students the opportunity to see the global and the vernacular as it impacts architecture.
Students explore historic homes of West Alabama, examining and documenting their intricate period details, architectural features, and spatial qualities.
WOODSHOP
INSTRUCTOR: STEVE LONG
Another year has come and gone in the Rural Studio Woodshop! The focus has been the development of millwork for Rosie’s Home. This was done in conjunction with the 3rd-Year Studio in the Spring and Fall semesters. The first half of the challenge was to design and build cabinets for the kitchen that would serve Rosie’s needs for both use and storage. The goal is to create better quality cabinets than what would typically be in the budget for store-bought ones.
The second half of the challenge was to use more sustainable building materials that would contribute to the durability and health of the house, using the tools available at our own Woodshop. The system of cabinets was designed and built emphasizing the fundamentals of woodworking and standard shop tools (rather than more high-tech laser cutters). Completion and installation of the cabinets was in the Fall of 2023.
Students are able to understand the properties of wood while focusing on construction techniques and craft.
LOCAL PROFILE:
BOBBY SCOTT
Bobby Scott was born and raised in Newbern and has lived here for most of his 70+ years. He is one of the hardest working people in Newbern and a jack-of-all-trades, from milking cows to tending catfish farms to processing deer. His calm demeanor, love of family, and strong work ethic make him a beloved member of the Newbern community.
What jobs do you work?
I check oxygen [on catfish farms] for Matt Sims. That’s basically 8-9 hours every day, seven days a week. And, I got my own little jobs: tending to my cows, cutting grass. I got about 36 momma cows. I do a few deer [deer processing] when I can get some help. I started that about 16 to 17 years ago.
How many deer do you process each season?
When I first started, I was doing 600-700 [each season]. Last year, I slowed down because I didn’t have much help. I did about 300 last year.
What’s your favorite job?
I like feeding catfish. I like to watch them eat. When they hear the truck cranking up, they come down [and swarm for food].
You have lots of jobs at home too.
I’m trying to finish my house. It’s a lot to do. I told my wife: “I’m behind now, and I’m gonna be behind when I die.”
Have you lived in Newbern your entire life?
Yep, I’ve lived in Newbern, except for about eight years. From the time I can remember—5 or 6 years old, I started working when I was 6—it was kinda hard. It really was hard because Momma had twelve kids and we were always short on food. I was the sixth kid. After I got to be about 8 or 9, things started to get better. We had a little bit more money coming in and could buy a bit more. I remember when we bought our first stove. We used to have a wood stove, and I would have to cook on it. I started cooking when I was 7 or 8, and I used to cook for the whole family while they were in the fields.
I was milking cows when I was 6, going to work at 2:00 in the morning. I would get home by 5:00 or 5:30, get ready for school, lay down until the bus came. Then, when I got to school [at Sunshine], I slept all day. I’d get out of school, come home, and go back and milk. Then come home and lay down, then start all over again. Seven days a week. I quit school… I guess it was the third or fourth grade. After I got in my teens, everything started to get better. Made a little bit more money. All of us working. Then, everything was kind of leveling out. By then, I could take care of myself. But, the younger days, it was kinda rough. I milked until I left. I left when I was 18 [and moved to Cincinnati]. My brother, Jimmy, he left, and then I left behind him [and moved to Cincinnati]. It was fun when I first moved up there. A lot to do. A lot to see, right out of the country!
What made you come back?
I just got tired of the city. The city was too fast. I made plenty of money, but I couldn’t save any money. We would go out seven nights a week. We would get up at 12:00am and go out to the club or a party. Dance all night. It was the ’60s and ’70s.
What did you do when you returned to Newbern?
Take a guess: milking cows. Did that for about ten years, then after that, I was hauling cotton. Then I basically started doing a lot for myself and then finally, I started getting my own cows and then later, I started doing deer.
Tell us about your wife, Fanny.
We grew up together, really. We both grown up on Frances Sullivan’s place. Before I left for Cincinnati, Fanny and I used to go together. When I left, I got married to somebody else, but it didn’t work out. When I came back down here, Fanny and I started going together again, and then we had a kid, and then we had another. I’ve had three kids by Fanny. Then, I have two stepsons that I raise. I also have seven grandkids and two great grandkids. Fanny was working at the catfish plant in Greensboro [Alabama] when I came back [to Newbern].
Where’s your favorite place to go out to eat?
I don’t eat out much anymore. If I go get something to eat, I’ll go to Nick’s. I love the shrimp po’ boys. But, I don’t eat out too much. Fanny always has something good on the table. She likes to cook a lot of spaghetti and stuff like that, but my favorite food she cooks is fish. Potato salad. Peach cobbler.
When I was young and the train was here, it was nice. Newbern was bloomin’, baby!
What was the craziest thing you saw when you first moved to Cincinnati? My paycheck! I said, “Man, I didn’t make this in three weeks back home!” The next crazy thing: they liked to joke at me about the way I talk. Started calling me “Country.” The worst job I had there was my first one. We would go around to the slaughterhouses and pick up the hides. You couldn’t get the scent out of your clothes. Then, I started working at a foundry, where they made iron. I stayed there about three years, and then I got a job at the bakery, doing shipping and receiving and different jobs.
You’re one of the most respected people in this community. Why do you think that is?
I guess because I’m a good person. I can get along with almost anybody, most any time. But, some people, you just can’t get along with.
What was Newbern like when the railroad came through town?
I was here when they took the railroad away. When I was young and the train was here, it was nice. Newbern was bloomin’, baby! They had the cotton gin, and the fish plant was going in Greensboro [Alabama]. Newbern was doin’ good when I was young. A lot of cotton was sold here when I was growing up. We had a lot stuff here when I was 8, 9, 10 years old. A lot of stores.
How has Newbern changed over the past years, including the impact of Rural Studio? Only change I’ve seen in Newbern is what y’all [Rural Studio} have changed.
What’s the most beautiful place around here?
I know a couple of places, especially south of Faunsdale.
Do you think the community likes having Rural Studio here?
I think they do. I think they know y’all help a lot.
What do you love most about Newbern?
It’s quiet. Real quiet.
CONSULTANT PROFILE: FRANK HARMON
Frank Harmon was the speaker at Rural Studio’s 2023 valediction. He has served as a consultant at the Studio for the past decade, teaching watercolor and drawing workshops alongside Dan Wheeler.
Frank received an AA Diploma from Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, in 1967, and then worked in several positions, from an architecture firm in New York City to a professor at Auburn University. In 1979, Frank became a professor of practice in architecture at North Carolina State University, where he taught for 40 years, and recently shifted to semiretirement. In 1981, he also founded his own firm, Frank Harmon Architect, in Raleigh, NC. The work of his firm has influenced the architecture of North Carolina and the Southeast and garnered multiple awards and accolades. Since 1992, Frank Harmon Architect has also won more AIA Design Awards than any other firm in the state. The designs have been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Record and Architectural Design. Frank is passionate about drawing and painting. He maintains a blog, “Native Places,” in which he pairs drawings and watercolors of buildings and homes with short essays that illuminate the humanity within and behind their walls. Frank brings this reflective spirit to Rural Studio, encouraging students to see more than structures when they sketch.
What childhood experience inspired you to be an architect?
I was a relatively indifferent student. Not your straight-A student. Of course, I had siblings who made straight A’s on everything. But I wasn’t that interested in a lot of the schoolwork, anyway. I built a Soapbox Derby [car] over a summer, and it was absolutely thrilling to do something that was rewarding and that wasn’t taught at school. So that was one influence. The other was about that same time. I was in the eighth grade at Lindley Junior High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, and my teacher was Mrs. Dickinson. I used to daydream and look out the window, and I saw this old house across the street. I got very interested in that old house. I think it was the first time that it occurred to me: “Hey, that house is there because somebody thought of it first.” You know, we tend to look at houses like they’re rocks. They’re just there. Right about that time, Mrs. Dickinson threw a piece of chalk at me, but it missed me. She was very strict and didn’t like people daydreaming out the window. And so, I tell people that Mrs. Dickinson missed, but I discovered architecture. In both those stories, there’s a sense of the intentionality of creation. To be honest, up until then, I thought I was going to be a natural scientist because I absolutely adored everything in nature. I had huge collections of birds, nests, butterflies, and insects that I raised—and all kinds of animals like possums and pigeons. Anything that was living, I loved. So that would have been a natural course for me until, like I say, Mrs. Dickinson threw that piece of chalk.
about David was that he taught us to look at the basics. The second thing that’s important about David was that he felt like architecture was a social responsibility—a moral imperative, if you will—to make the world a better place, not just for rich people, but for everyone. And David would be happier doing a small house of 800 square feet than he would be doing a mansion of 30 rooms. He felt like architecture belonged to everybody.
How did you get involved with Rural Studio?
I knew Sam Mockbee back in the day—back in the ’90s. We became friends at that point, and I knew Andrew vaguely. When he invited me to come down and teach, I jumped at it because I think that Rural Studio is the best architectural school in the world. I know that sounds superlative, but I think it’s true. It’s the single best way to learn architecture. It’s what happens in that little county of Hale County because it’s everything, you know. Oh, it’s everything. The students get to know their clients. They live the same way other people live. They design the building. They build the building. They serve the barbecue when they have the big opening. You know, everything. And the area is so unique in many wonderful ways but also struggles with a lot of challenges—a lot of challenges—so [students] learn in that environment and have to think 360 degrees.
Well, at this stage in my life, my greatest satisfaction is helping younger architects find their way by suggesting a project they might like to work on, or writing references for them, or getting them involved with the teaching that I do.
My most important teacher was Lena Bilado. I had her in the fifth grade, and she was the first adult not in my family who appreciated me for what I did or who I was. When I think back now, I realize how important that person is in everybody’s life. You know, the first adult non-family member who says, “Oh, so you’re interested in birds. How about going out and drawing that robin’s nest for me?” That’s what she did. Of course, my mother did that, and my aunt did that, and so on. But to have somebody who’s not in your family recognize an ability or a skill and nurture it–that person is so important.
What is your philosophy of teaching?
I don’t think teaching is a process of giving information from one person to another. Teaching and learning is a discovery [process] that we are both in together.
You and Andrew both attended the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and studied under David Shalev. How did he influence you? What was different about David was that he allowed, or even encouraged, looking at the essentials of a project. For example, it might be the way someone wrote at a desk. When you think about writing at a desk: Well, are you right-handed? Okay, does the light come from the left to light what you’re writing on or reading? He encouraged me to look at the basics. It’s so easy to teach architecture by saying, “Look at what so and so did,” or “Here’s a particular style that you should follow.” But what was unique
When was the first time you started drawing?
I drew as a child, and we all draw as children. As children, we use drawing as a way to discover the world, and to try to understand. We draw a house, draw a tree outside, and we draw the sun. And then we draw our mother, you know, mommy. We’re trying to sort of piece these things together.
What is the history of your home in Raleigh, NC? My wife, Judy, and I moved to England in 1973, and she fell in love with gardening. You can’t miss gardens in England. Gardens in England are like what food is in France: a national talent and preoccupation. She got very interested in gardening, and so in 1979, we were looking to move back to the United States. And we thought, if we’re lucky, we can move to a place where we could create a garden. Judy could design the garden, and I could design the house. That was our big idea. We called it the Southern House. We thought: “It’s gonna be a big garden and a house that are open to each other.” We had that big idea, and 11 years later, we moved in.
In 1981, we moved to Raleigh. I had a teaching job here. We sold our house in London, and we used that to buy a piece of land and build a house. And in the meantime, Judy had decided she wanted to be a landscape architect. So, she was a student in the landscape program at North Carolina State. Just like you have a landscape program at Auburn. We started by designing the house and the garden together. And that was a huge education for me because I thought the architect was in charge of everything. This is how we were taught; this was the world at the time. Judy very quietly let me know that the landscape was more important than the architecture. This was a huge change in my thinking. She designed a garden, and I designed a house to go with it.
In your semi-retirement, do you plan to continue consulting at Rural Studio? Oh, I would love to. I feel very close to the Studio and the students there. Wonderful! They are remarkable people. To a person, they are remarkable. And every year, I can’t wait to go back.
What’s next for you?
Well, at this stage in my life, my greatest satisfaction is helping younger architects find their way by suggesting a project they might like to work on, or writing references for them, or getting them involved with the teaching that I do. It’s like a mentorship. I enjoy being a mentor. I don’t do buildings anymore, and I miss that. I miss being an architect. But, I get to enjoy seeing these incredibly energetic bright people at Rural Studio build things. It gives me great satisfaction, especially if I can offer a little advice from time to time, help them out in some way. So that’s the most significant thing that I enjoy doing.
5TH-YEARS
The latest designs in the 5th-Year Studio are responses to two practical challenges, one on Rural Studio’s campus and one that is common to many rural (and urban) areas. The Rural Studio Bathhouse is a much-needed expansion of facilities on the Morrisette Campus, including restrooms, showers, and lockers. The 18x18 House addresses the question: how can we build a home with a footprint so small, it can fit in an area the size of two parking spaces?
RURAL STUDIO BATHHOUSE
The 5th-year team of Ambar, Logan, Carla, and Ashley have begun construction on a new bathing facility for the Rural Studio Morrisette Campus. The team is designing and building a Bathhouse for use by 3rd-year students who live onsite in the pods. In addition to its practical function for the Studio community, the project’s goal is to demonstrate how stacked solid timber walls can perform as the structural system while simultaneously providing beautiful interior and and exterior finishes, in the challenging environment of a wet space that creates humidity and needs good ventilation.
The team is creating a beautiful and functional bathroom out of wood, while also having to manage water, humidity, and ventilation.
The project features an entirely cypress structure protected by a lightweight metal "umbrella." To achieve this, the project adapts and reuses two existing dormitory pods that were designed to test timber as a heat exchanger and ventilation strategy through stacked timber planes. These pods will be repurposed as a laundry space and sink/locker space for the new Bathhouse. Additionally, two pods will be constructed to house the toilet and shower facilities and will continue the design language of the existing pods. Finally, an outdoor shower pavilion is tucked into the forest to the north.
STUDENTS: Ambar Ashraf, Logan Lee, Carla Slabber, and Ashley Wilson
FACULTY: Andrew Freear, Steve Long, John Marusich
LOCATION: Newbern, Alabama
PROJECT BLOG LINK: aub.ie/rsbathhouseblog
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: Fall 2024
The 5th-year team of Jake, Julie, Meagan, and Naomi are designing and building the 18×18 House. The 18×18 House aims to address the need for a small, adaptable, multistory house in both urban and rural settings. The dimensions and name—18’ x 18’—come from the size of two parking spaces, as some cities are negotiating with developers to swap out parking spaces in exchange for housing units that are affordable. The house is designed for a “young professional,” a client who may be living alone, with a partner, or beginning a family. This means the house should be able to accommodate a maximum of three related occupants. The 18x18 House is two stories with an additional half-story loft, which can be used for storage or as an extra sleeping space. Its compact, square shape means that the house can be applicable to many site conditions and contexts.
STUDENTS: Jake Buell, Julie DiDeo, Meagan Mitchell, and Naomi Tony-Alabi
FACULTY: Andrew Freear, Steve Long, John Marusich
LOCATION: Greensboro, Alabama
PROJECT BLOG LINK: aub.ie/18x18houseblog
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: May 2024
Students are designing a home with 18’ x 18’ dimensions—the size of two parking spaces.
FRONT PORCH
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Front Porch Initiative has had a big year. We’ve built homes with five housing providers across the Southeast, presented at venues across the country, hosted several big convenings in Hale County (think Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Fannie Mae), and hired a new team member. Along with our partner, Chipola Area Habitat for Humanity (CAHFH), we celebrated the ribbon cutting of four new homes and experienced a “first ever” moment: CAHFH helped one of their homeowners secure the first loan ever to use Sweat Equity Flexibility, a new option in Fannie Mae’s HomeReady mortgage product. And it ended with a big moment, too: You know Rusty Smith, Rural Studio Associate Director and Front Porch Initiative strategic leader—Rusty was promoted to full Professor! Read on to learn about these, and other, exciting milestones from the past academic year.
Photo by Keith Issacs
The Front Porch Initiative builds on students’ housing research and development, applying that knowledge to help rural communities across the South.
What does the Front Porch Initiative (FP) do? In short, we are doing collaborative work to increase equitable access to high-performance (HP) homes. There are many moving pieces, so let us explain. And we beg you to please excuse our alphabet soup of abbreviations. Our foundation is the housing research and development Rural Studio students continue to do—students, the core of the Studio. We offer to housing provider partners Rural Studio home designs (the FP “product line”). We also give the technical assistance they need when planning and building. These providers include Habitat for Humanity affiliates, community land trusts, and community housing corporations, for starters. We also work with housing network partners, organizations— often big organizations—within the larger housing network: we advocate for policies that remove barriers to, and bolster opportunities for, equitably attaining affordable, high-performance housing. Again, this is collaborative work.
Although four people are committed to the day-today duties of the Front Porch Initiative—Rusty Smith, Mackenzie Stagg, Betsy Farrell Garcia, and Christian Ayala (more on Christian momentarily)—it would take us at least the rest of this page to list all of the contributors to the successes. However, we’d like to give shoutouts to Natalie Butts-Ball, Emily McGlohn, Courtney Windham, Jennifer Pindyck, and Margaret Fletcher for dedicating their time and talents to this year’s work. The CADC and APLA leadership continue to be great advocates and supporters. And Jessica Holmes and Juanita Dowdell
have been integral in helping us write and manage the contracts and grants that allow these collaborations to happen. Let’s not forget Sherry Hunt, who kept us on track as we traveled, met with consultants, and generally did what we needed to do to keep us and the research moving forward. We have missed her greatly since she retired but appreciate Olivia Hayes stepping into her shoes.
We’d like to give an official Rural Studio Newsletter welcome to Christian Ayala, who joined the team in January. Christian, an Auburn alum, came to us fresh from completing graduate school at Rice University. Christian hit the ground running and has rapidly become an invaluable member of the team; we are very excited to have him on board.
Our research and development is guided by a few key tasks, which work in tandem to promote rural housing: providing ongoing technical assistance, building new partnerships, pursuing pilots and implementation studies, and ultimately, sharing what we’ve learned.
Providing ongoing technical assistance
We continue to offer technical assistance to our provider partners, boosting their capacity to deliver HP homes in their communities. Here’s what we mean by HP: Every current project—houses built during the 2022-2023 school year, under construction, or on the drawing boards—is pursuing ENERGY STAR certification, meaning they are aiming for beyond-code energy performance. Additionally, many of our partners working
Front Porch Initiative team: Mackenzie Stagg, Rusty Smith, Betsy Farrell Garcia, and Christian Ayala
in coastal and high-wind areas are pursuing FORTIFIED certification, increasing the home’s resistance to wind and storm damage.
Speaking of energy efficiency and resilience, in April we celebrated the dedication of the first replacement house in Lafitte, Louisiana, constructed by New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH). The house, which is elevated nearly ten feet above the ground to protect against flooding, achieved two certifications: ENERGY STAR and FORTIFIED for Home Hurricane Gold. Another Habitat for Humanity partner, Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County (HFHGC), hit the ground running, building six homes, the first of which celebrated its dedication in early June.
Additionally, several projects are in development:
• Chipley, FL: Chipola Area Habitat for Humanity (CAHFH) is building a community that will feature three Rural Studio houses in the nine-house development.
• Carrabelle, FL: The first Rural Studio home in a community land trust is under construction with Franklin County Community Development & Land Trust Corporation (FCCD<C).
• Marshall, NC: Community Housing Corporation of Madison County (CHCMC) completed construction in August 2023 on a replacement home for a local homeowner.
This work extends beyond the Rural Studio–designed homes. We’re delighted to see that several of our partners are applying knowledge they gained from our technical assistance to begin building more or all of their homes to these beyond-code performance standards.
Building new partnerships
Our second key task is initiating and developing housing provider and housing network partnerships. Over the course of the year, we visited several potential housing provider partners, traveling to areas such as Tunica, MS; Huntington, WV; York, AL; and Clarksdale, MS—and we talked to several more potential partners via Zoom. We also worked with regional and national organizations within the housing network, including the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), Southeastern Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Rural LISC.
Several prominent housing network organizations also visited Hale County this year. In October 2022, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, including President and CEO Raphael Bostic, visited Greensboro and Newbern. That afternoon, David Lipsetz, President and CEO of the Housing Assistance Council, moderated a roundtable on rural housing: in the welcoming space of the Newbern Library, we discussed key barriers to housing access and affordability in the Black Belt:
1. Rural communities don’t always benefit from federal resources.
2. Heirs property often prevents individuals from being productive with the land they already own.
3. Many Black Belt towns don’t have the infrastructure needed to attract industries that provide living wages.
4. The construction workforce will shrink significantly in the next decade, if estimates hold true, and rural communities will likely feel the most impact.
5. Substandard housing is directly tied to the risk of poor health outcomes in rural areas.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
14 Houses Under Development
18
Housing Provider Partners
Then, in May, we hosted research sponsor Fannie Mae for a two-day visit to West Alabama. Eleven Fannie Mae representatives saw student work first-hand— from touring current projects such as Patriece’s Home, Rosie’s Home, and C.H.O.I.C.E. House, to hearing a presentation from the 18x18 House team, to visiting community facilities such as the Safe House Museum, Greensboro Boys & Girls Club, and Newbern Library. Many of the Fannie Mae representatives had never before been to West Alabama, and we believe their visit reinforced the value of our collaboration over the past six years.
Pursuing pilots and implementation studies
Third on our list of key tasks is the development of pilots and implementation studies. This year, a CAHFH partner family closed on the first loan to use the Sweat Equity flexibility of HomeReady. This accomplishment—which involved collaboration between Fannie Mae, Regions Bank, and CAHFH—provided the new homeowner with an affordable loan. Nearly $40,000 of the loan’s down payment is based on the calculated value of the sweat equity that the homeowner and volunteers contributed to its construction. What a win-win-win situation we have with this type of financing: The homeowner has an affordable loan and grows both equity in the home and personal credit. The developer (CAHFH) can use the capital from selling the house to develop more homes. The lending bank (Regions Bank) receives credit for serving underserved markets. If the bank sells the loan to one of the Enterprises (Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac), the Enterprise can include this home in their Green
Mortgage-Backed Security because of the home’s ENERGY STAR certification.
We are applying what we learned from our work thus far to a collaborative research project with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). We’re studying the efficacy of incorporating energy efficiency, hazard resilience, and climate responsiveness into Habitat for Humanity homes. We’ll analyze the impact of improved construction on energy costs, and we’ll gauge how incentives, and their size, affect Habitat for Humanity affiliates’ decisions about beyond-code construction. This study will also explore the potential to correlate energy savings measured in utility bills to those measured by energy consumption monitoring. We are working with HFHI to collect circuit-level data on a subset of homes in the study.
The FP team has been working with Emily McGlohn, Judith Seaman, and the 3rd-year students to inventory materials commonly used in Rural Studio homes, looking for areas where we could use more healthful materials. In an effort coined the “Green Bucket,” the 3rd-Year Studio is compiling a list of more healthful materials in areas such as insulation, flooring, and cabinetry. This work was made possible by an intramural grant from Auburn University. This line of research has influenced the materials used in Rosie’s Home. Further, it will inform the materials that the FP team recommends to our housing provider partners moving forward. “Invaluable” may be the best way to describe the feedback loop between the on-the-ground work at Rural Studio and the regional focus of Front Porch Initiative. Another part of the loop is the continued development of prototype homes. Since FP’s beginning, we have used home prototypes first developed by Rural Studio student teams
9
16
moderated by David Lipsetz,
Pio Roda / Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023
Convenings Hosted at Rural Studio
3 Partners Built or Are Building Houses
5
for clients in West Alabama. This year, another level of a loop is coming together: FP influencing whole project concepts. The prompt for the 18x18 House, a current 5th-year project, came from our partner, Affordable Housing Resources (AHR) in Nashville, TN. A Nashville policy allows developers to remove two parking spaces from the required minimum in exchange for adding an affordable housing unit to a development; based on that, Eddie Latimer with AHR asked what that exchange would mean for developing more housing in a city where high land costs add to keeping housing out of reach. As you can read on page 15, we believe a small-footprint house can fit the contexts of both rural and urban areas.
Although the first model of the 18x18 House will be constructed in West Alabama, we look forward to also building this prototype design in Nashville and beyond.
Sharing what we’ve learned
FP’s ultimate goal is to share what we’ve learned with anyone who could benefit from it. To that end, our final guiding task is to expand partner and public access to our resources. Tatum Design—the firm that revamped the award-winning Rural Studio website and designs this newsletter—has been helping us build a more robust online platform. In this new space, we can share more of the FP’s resources: the product line of homes we offer,
7 Houses Fully Completed Houses Under Construction
2
housing case studies, and key takeaways around topics such as zoning, finance, and home performance. By the time this newsletter goes to press, the new website will have launched! Additionally, we’ve been busy attending academic and industry conferences, both to share our findings and to learn more about what others are doing in the realm of housing access and affordability. We are thrilled about the progress made over the past academic year and look forward to another productive year as we tilt into Rural Studio’s thirtieth anniversary. Stay tuned!
Thanks to those who have consulted on all of our projects: Andy Bell, for his energy model and energy efficiency expertise; Brad Harrison and the team at LBYD for ensuring we’re structurally sound; Cheryl Noel and Ravi Ricker of Wrap Architecture for wading through zoning and building codes with us; and Gabe Ford (Ford Photographs) and Keith Isaacs (Keith Isaacs Photo) for providing us with beautiful photographs of our partners’ homes. Then there’s our fabulous housing provider partners mentioned in this year’s newsletter: Carmen Smith, Cynthia Williams, Jennie Ann Dean, Tamara Dourney, Isaiah Morgan, & Pete Fulton with CAHFH; Chris Watson & Matt Bennett with CHC Madison County; Cliff Butler with FCCD<C; John Lattimore & Benjamin Brock with HFHGC; and Marguerite Oestreicher, Jay Huffstatler, Tim O’Rourke, Bradley Holland, & Vivian Kain with NOAHH, plus Steve Cali and Jon Maxwell. And, a final shoutout to our research sponsors, including Fannie Mae, Wells Fargo, and Regions. We know this list is incomplete, but we sincerely appreciate both the people listed here, and all those we don’t have space to include, for your partnership and your support.
team with Barbara Harper Latimer (Honeybee Builders) and Eddie Latimer (AHR)
CHANGING FACES
FAREWELL
MELISSA DENNEY!
Most folks around Rural Studio know Melissa Denney as the Development Officer: the one who fosters, secures, and maintains donations to the program. What some folks don’t know is that she started her Auburn career with Rural Studio and has supported it for 22 years.
Melissa grew up in Columbiana, AL (part of rural Shelby County, Alabama), but by 2001, Denney was a full-time mother of two children in Opelika, AL. At that time, she took a job as the Program Assistant for Rural Studio. Working out of Auburn, Melissa helped Samuel Mockbee and D.K. Ruth with all aspects of running the program: selecting students, applying for grants, managing finances, and coordinating publicity.
In those early days, Melissa was one of only seven employees at Rural Studio, and most of the Studio’s budget came from fundraising, so Melissa’s work with development and publicity was vital to the Studio’s success. Then, in the early 2000s, Auburn University
established permanent funding for Rural Studio, which freed up resources, changed Melissa’s working life, and ensured the long-term success of the program.
Melissa turned much of her attention to supporting student projects. She was integral to both the fundraising and initial development of well-known Rural Studio works, especially the Lions Park project. Through her tenacity and skill, Melissa helped procure the main grant of $100,000 from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (the philanthropic arm of Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association) that led to the development of the baseball fields. This grant was the seed that led to many in-kind donations for the baseball fields and catalyzed more development at Lions Park. One such project was the skate park: Melissa’s efforts helped Rural Studio obtain the Tony Hawk grant that funded it.
In the mid-2000s, The College of Architecture, Design
and Construction (CADC) asked Melissa to expand her fundraising role, becoming a Development Officer for the college. She served in CADC’s Office of Advancement for ten years, including the last three as its director. Melissa’s support of Rural Studio never wavered, though, and she continued to reach out to old and new donors as the Studio grew in size and notoriety.
In 2023, Melissa announced that she was going to retire, ending an era of incredibly important work for the Studio and CADC. With a new grandchild, she decided it was time to start a different chapter in her life. Reflecting on her career, Melissa found fulfillment in the young architects that were influenced by the work and community as well as the lifelong friendships made with Rural Studio colleagues and supporters. She was “snake bit” by the Studio’s mission from the very first day—and plans to continue advocacy work with affordable housing or community development in her retirement.
HELLO
CHRISTIAN AYALA!
Christian joined Rural Studio in 2023 as a Research Architect. He is now part of the Front Porch Initiative team working with regional housing partners. A 2008 alum of Auburn University’s Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programs, Christian was part of a team that designed and built Habitat for Humanity home in Greensboro, AL. He went on to receive a Master of Science in Architecture from Rice University in Houston, TX, and is a registered architect in Georgia. Christian’s professional interest lies in addressing the obstacles to providing accessible, resilient, high-performing affordable housing. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing with his favorite tool, the carabiner.
RURAL STUDIO FARM
In the past year, the Farm has focused on giving back to the local community while continuing to increase its bounty of crops. Eric Ball, the Rural Studio Farm Manager, along with Ambar Ashraf and Jake Buell, his Farm team, worked with the Black Belt Food Project and Project Horseshoe Farm to improve food choices in our West Alabama community. The Farm donated several hundred pounds of extra food to their produce stand, which runs on a “take what you want, pay what you can” model.
All year, the Farm gave back to the Rural Studio community as well. The annual yield was 6061.1 pounds
Another new favorite this year was hydroponically grown microgreens, newly emerged sprouts of broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, arugula, and cabbage to be added fresh to salads. We have been able to produce 19 7 pounds of microgreens in just 12 days! Other bumper crops included turnips (566 pounds), peppers (319 pounds) and lettuce (~220 pounds). We look forward to seeing what the Farm yields in the coming year!
Mellow Star, Goddess, Eros, Cupid, Jedi, Charger
SWEET & SPICE PEPPERS
Carminat
BLUEBERRIES Tifblue, Brightwell, Premier, Climax
Arugula, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Kohlrabi
WASTEWATER
Fifty percent of Black Belt residents use onsite septic systems, and it’s estimated that 90% of these systems are failing or don’t work as they should. The reason for this startling number is that soils with high clay content hold wastewater on the ground surface, creating contaminated pools or soggy areas in yards. Soil that’s good for building or forming catfish ponds is terrible for onsite wastewater treatment. Engineered mound systems that work in these soils can cost up to $20,000–too expensive for most people. Both problems demand new ways of thinking about rural wastewater management.
The vast majority of septic systems in Alabama’s Black Belt are functioning poorly or failing due to unsuitable soil conditions.
As a member of the Consortium for Alabama Rural Water and Wastewater Management, Rural Studio is partnering with engineers from the University of South Alabama, University of Alabama, and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn to help solve this public health crisis. Rural Studio will be the demonstration site for an innovative rural wastewater cluster system paid for by the American Rescue Act Plan, USDA, and Columbia World Projects. The technology behind the pilot project is tried and true; many similar wastewater
systems have been successful in Alabama. But, none have used these effluent-only sewers in a rural, retro-fit setting. A cluster system takes the waste liquids from a household or business and treats them to a high-level of purification. Phases 1 and 2 of the Rural Wastewater Demonstration Project will serve Rural Studio’s campus, Red Barn, Newbern Library, and the businesses on the west side of Alabama Highway 61. The demonstration will be open to the public so our neighbors can come see and smell
the treatment center. Rural Studio’s long-term goal is to bring other community members onto the new sanitary sewer. If these cluster systems are fully utilized across the Black Belt, another 25 percent of residents could have access to a managed and affordable sanitary sewer system. Rural Studio is excited to work with our partners and offer new solutions for rural wastewater management in the Black Belt.
If you care about rural places, educating architecture students, and the future of Rural Studio, then we need your help! We want to keep this good work going with a permanent trust that will guarantee yearly funds
to support students and their projects. We are looking for 30 donors to pledge $30,000 each over the next five years. That’s just $6,000 a year for you to build a legacy of supporting students’ work at Rural Studio.
Interested? Find out more info by contacting Alex Hart at alexhart@auburn.edu or 334-752-1648. You can also visit https://ruralstudio.org/303030-2/ to learn more.
