hale county animal shelter (greensboro, AL) 2005-2006 (photo by timothy hursley)

the rural studio is different from other university architecture programs. instead of sitting in a classroom, students gain first hand experience by designing and constructing buildings in rural alabama. these buildings are the result of collaborating with the clients and community directly. students in the rural studio actually live in the same community they are working with, understanding the context first hand. the mission of the rural studio is to ‘enable each participating student to cross the threshold of misconceived opinions by putting their educational values to work as citizens of a community’. their belief is that architecture should be created from within, not from outside.

since 1993, the rural studio has built over 80 projects, which have helped the community and taught the students valuable lessons. the studio is based in hale county, alabama, one of the poorest regions in the US. understanding the particular needs and constraints of this community is vital to the creation of meaningful designs.

hale county animal shelter (greensboro, AL) 2005-2006 (photo via conarcist)