"Everyone, rich or poor, deserves a shelter for the soul."Samuel MockbeeBased on this simple premise, in 1992 Samuel Mockbee launched the Rural Studio to create homes and community buildings for the poor while offering hands-on architecture training for coming generations. Choosing impoverished Hale County, Alabama, for his bold experiment, Mockbee and his Auburn University students peppered this left-behind corner of the rural South with striking buildings ofexceptional design. Most use recycled and curious materials: hay bales, surplus tires, leftover carpet tiles, even discarded 1980 Chevy Caprice windshields. The publication of Rural Studio brought this innovative work to the public, andfive printings latercontinues to affect the way people view architecture. Since Mockbee's death in 2001, the Rural Studio has continued to thrive, a tribute to its founder's vision. In 2004, the American Institute of Architects posthumously awarded Mockbee its highest honor, the Gold Medal for Architecture. Under Mockbee's successor, Andrew Freear, the studio has seeded southwest Alabama with an additional seventeen architectural landmarks, and all are shown here. With thoughtful text from Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and stunning photographs by Timothy Hursley, thisnew book explains the changes the studio has undergone during the last four years and its continuing ability to "proceed and be bold," as Mockbee counseled.
Author(s): Andrea Oppenheimer Dean, Timothy Hursley
Edition: 1
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 171
1568985002......Page 1
CONTENTS......Page 6
Introduction......Page 7
RURAL STUDIO REACTS TO ITS LOSS......Page 19
Lucy’s House......Page 21
Shiles House......Page 41
Antioch Baptist Church......Page 46
UNDER ANDREW FREEAR, THE PACE INTENSIFIES......Page 54
HERO Storefront......Page 56
Akron Senior Center......Page 61
Perry Lakes Park Pavilion......Page 67
Room for Essie and Jab......Page 75
PERSONALIZED PROJECTS BOTH BIG AND SMALL......Page 80
Red Barn......Page 82
Music Man's House......Page 89
Perry Lakes Park Facilities......Page 101
Newbern Little League Baseball Field......Page 111
Thomaston Rural Heritage Center......Page 121
EVER-CHANGING, THE RURAL STUDIO REMAINS A MOVING TARGET......Page 128
Avery Organic Vegetable Stand......Page 130
Ola Mae's Porch......Page 136
Utility Now! Bicycle Street Sweepers......Page 142
Bodark Amphitheater......Page 145
Patrick House......Page 147
Experiencing the Rural Studio: Interviews with Students, a Teacher, and a Client......Page 155
Building a Pavilio......Page 163
Another Dimension of Sambo......Page 167
Project Credits......Page 169
