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Summary: ETHICAL ARCHITECTURE
Review: In this stunning book the reader is taken to the most impoverished areas of Alabama and witnesses an astounding change in the architectural landscape. Homes that were once inhabitable shacks have been transformed into aesthetic buildings that have been transformed into true homes. Samuel Mockbee, his students, and his organization "Rural Studio" have made this transformation possible. Rural Studio is a picturesque story of social consciousness taking place through the vehicle of architecture. Mockbee believes in making a difference in the lives of poor people who are in substandard housing. Alternative materials ( such as corrugated cardboard) and the recycling of cast off wood, tin, windshields and other unusual resources are used for construction at an affordable price. I enjoyed the philosophy that Mockbee instills in his students not by preaching but by having them engage with their clients. His students learn that poor people are like people anywhere with their hopes and dreams. In listening to their clients his students learn how to build functional structures for them that meets the needs of the clients. I was overwhelmed by the before and after pictures of their various projects and was impressed with the use of alternative materials for insulation and windows. Rural Studio is indeed doing good work and its founder and students are to be commended for their commitment to social change. I must admit that I also have some misgivings about the work. Mockbee's students (at least the ones portrayed in the book) are white upper to middle-class students of architecture who are helping impoverished African-Americans. Why aren't there African-American students in his group? These good works have a smack of paternalism no matter how well intentioned. It is good to build affordable housing for people. Yet, what about the impoverishment of the community that doesn't allow for the upkeep of the housing? What good is it to build a home only to see it fall into disrepair because the people are unable to pay for its upkeep? These are the haunting questions that were always in the back of my mind. Rural Studio will not give you the architectural plans of the homes built but shows the transformative spirits that come about when people are treated with dignity and decency. This is a book about relationships and an architecture that moves beyond the functional mode of plain buildings. You will be moved by the projects and people.
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Summary: great book
Review: it's inspiring to see Mockbee's design-built works extended to and enhanced another layer of communities with creative uses of materials.
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Summary: Superb. Inspiring.
Review: Rural Studio is the perfect antidote to corporate crime and mistrust. Here are a group of people giving their time, work, and money to help other people, and doing it in a way that not only helps the individuals and families they build for: They help the whole community. This should be required reading for architecture faculty and students -- and maybe should be given to a couple of hundred CEOs around the country. Fantastic book.
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Summary: Good intentions but...
Review: Sounds like a good idea, but it's hard to ignore the incongruity of high-style homes with broken washing machines on the porches. Instructive because it shows what happens when the client becomes the recipient of charity instead of the one in charge.
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Summary: Fantastic!!!
Review: The breadth of conviction is stunning.
The style is indicative of what good we have retained as a society.
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Summary: overrated butt-kissing
Review: This book includes too much butt-kissing and paternalism. Sure, Mockbee and his students are helping these people, but they seem a bit too proud of themselves. I wish there was more technical information about the designs, materials, and techniques.
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Summary: great example of what architecture can be about.
Review: this book shows what architecture on a practical level can emphasize - serving people in need and allowing them to live with dignity. what i enjoyed most about this book is that it brings architecture to a personal level, while some books can be only about the material and technical this book provides stories about the professors behind the project, students engaged in it, the people they serve and how and why each specific structure was needed and how it suited and filled an important need. though some of the pieces seemed a bit "out there" and not exactly conventional in comparison to a deeply rural and poverty stricken alabama town they give an example of a way to provide needed structures to disadvantaged people. it is heartening to read the interviews towards the end of the book, one of which is by a single woman previously living in a welfare situation with four kids. she remarked that she was treated with utmost respect by the students designing her home, involving her a great deal in planning and taking personal interest in her situation. a model program that should be implemented at more schools.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: This breath of fresh air reinspires everytime it is opened and is a humbling reminder of the responsibilies of being an architect. Leave your ego at the door.
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