The Rural Studio
The Rural Studio consists of three programs. The second-year program: fifteen to twenty second-year Auburn University architecture students move to Hale County for one semester and design/build the charity homes. The Thesis program: Fifteen to nineteen Auburn University thesis architecture students move to Hale County for their fifth year. They form teams to plan, design and build community projects. The Outreach Program: non Auburn University graduate students from around the world come to the Rural Studio to work on a joint project and individual community outreach projects in their own discipline.
Under the direction of School of Architecture Associate Professor Andrew Freear, the Rural Studio benefits from a strong infrastructure and dedicated faculty. Other faculty are: Jason Coomes, Visiting Instructor for second-year, and Richard Hudgens, History Instructor. In addition to these faculty, the Rural Studio has five other enthusiastic staff members that make up the infrastructure which enables the Rural Studio to provide quality education and secure the operation of the projects.
To most, the measure of success of the Rural Studio is in its built projects; in reality, its success is measured by its effect upon the lives of the faculty, students, families, and communities it touches. It is not only the buildings that make the Rural Studio what it is, but also the education the students receive about architecture and about society. Ultimately, it is about “sharing the sweat†with the community.
For more information please visit the Rural Studio Website.
Design-Build Masters Degree Program
Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction is delighted to be offering a new Design-Build Masters Program. The three-semester degree will focus on the process of integrating design and construction techniques. Forecasts indicate that by 2015, as much as 75 percent of all building projects will be delivered in some form of collaborative process. Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design, and Construction is in a unique position to foster collaboration between the major academic disciplines in the college. In this atmosphere, students will study the Design-Build process and work together to solve problems more efficiently, promote trust and reinforce dynamic thinking.
The significant body of design-build knowledge necessitates the ability to select, distill and apply information. Auburn’s Design-Build Masters Program teaches the skills that elevate the student’s awareness of the total process. Single point responsibility requires knowledge of best practice in design, construction, budgeting, scheduling, and communication to facilitate comprehensive project delivery. The concepts taught in the Design-Build Masters Program will lead students to rapid advancement as leaders in the growing field of design and construction industry.
The Design-Build Masters program, under the auspices of The Community Outreach Center for Design and Construction is geared toward students with diverse backgrounds. Students with degrees in Building Construction, Architecture or those with outstanding records in other disciplines will be admitted. In this three-semester, progressive, context-based, design-build program, students will be expected to research, select, analyze, program, design and construct a comprehensive project. Teams of students will construct original designs within the supportive partnership of students, faculty, communities, local architects, and constructors.
Students will have responsibility for comprehensive design-build projects involving all aspects of the process. The philosophical tradition of learning-through-experience and context based learning is the foundation of the Design-Build Masters Degree program. This alliance of theory and current practice will form the basis of the curriculum.
Students will apply these skills through public/private sector collaborations and in outreach efforts to communities. The program will focus on designing and building projects in underserved population groups throughout the state of Alabama including: economically depressed communities, children at risk, the elderly, and the disabled or ill who face complex challenges that threaten their economic future, self-reliance, and quality of life.
For more information please visit the Design-Build Masters Program Website.
DESIGNhabitat
The DESIGNhabitat program is an on-going partnership between Auburn’s School of Architecture and the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates (AAHA). Begun in 2001, this partnership is focused on developing innovative design strategies for Habitat homes which are grounded in an understanding of the culture and climate of Alabama.
DESIGNhabitat 2 will expand this program’s exploration of alternative approaches to the design and construction of Habitat homes to include the incorporation of factory-based, modular construction technologies. The proposal also seeks to broaden the dialogue within Habitat regarding energy performance and resource conservation, and to expose a new generation of students to the enriched learning experience that comes from the synthesis of service learning and design-build.
For more information visit the DESIGNhabitat website.
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