The $20k House project that Auburn’s Rural Studio works on is genius. In fact, if I had to do college over again, I’d give up my BBA and BS degrees for either a Master’s in Southern Studies at Ole Miss, or I’d have studied under Sambo Mockbee at Auburn and done the Rural Studio program and graduated in architecture. The idea that these students are making livable, respectable, responsible structures for $20k…
I often look at these and think what a great lake house or vacation cabin these would be for people who would never otherwise have any interest in these homes too.
Architect Magazine had a nice piece last month about Sambo. This is an article about the new Rural Studio Revolution and Rural Studio Farm, a project in which students have a 100 sq ft greenhouse and will farm to feed 40 of them three times a week. Scott Peacock, who is going around Alabama collecting stories and memories of food from elderly residents, visited the farm this summer. (BTW, Scott’s memoir about living and working with Edna Lewis is supposed to be out next year, and his cookbook, Scott Peacock’s Alabama Kitchen, will be out in 2013).
MIT is working on an overseas prototype called the Pinwheel House that could be built for $1000, and another version for Japan for $10,000. Images and text here.