ISBN 1-56898-379-4 $11.95

TMxHSLFQIy983790zv;:":":*:; PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS

i

National Endowment 

for the Arts

with the support of 

The Richard H. Driehaus

Foundation

UNIVERSITYCOMMUNITY

DESIGN

PARTNERSHIPS

INNOVATIONS 

IN PRACTICE

Jason Pearson

Mark Robbins series editor

Washington, DC
Distributed by:

Princeton Architectural Press

37 East Seventh Street

New York, New York 10003

For a free catalog of books, call 1.800.722.6657.

Visit our web site at www.papress.com.

© 2002 National Endowment for the Arts

05 04 03 02 4 3 2 1 First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form by any electronic or

mechanical means (including photocopying,

recording, or information storage and retrieval)

without permission in writing from the publisher.

Research assistance by Casius Pealer

Publication coordination by Kristina Alg

Design by M. Christopher Jones, The VIA Group LLC.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication 

Data is available from the National Endowment 

for the Arts.

ISBN 1-56898-379-4

Front cover:

Studio 804 

216 Alabama Avenue

House, Lawrence, Kansas,

2000 

Rear view, showing

extension of entry

platform to create rear

deck.

NEA Series on Design

Other titles available in this series:

The Mayors’ Institute: 

Excellence in City Design

Schools for Cities: 

Urban Strategies

Sprawl and Public Space: 

Redressing the Mall

Your Town: 

Mississippi Delta
In memory of

Samuel Mockbee

December 23, 1944–December 30, 2001
Contents

Preface 1

Mark Robbins

Introduction 5

A Context for 11

UniversityCommunity Design

Partnerships

Strategies for 21

Support

Archeworks 27

Chicago, IL

Blue Soup 35

Outreach

Los Angeles, CA

Cleveland 43

Urban Design

Collaborative

Cleveland, OH

Design Corps 51

Raleigh, NC

Detroit 59

Collaborative 

Design Center

Detroit, MI

Howard S. 69

Wright Design/

Build Studio

Seattle, WA

The Rural Studio 83

Newbern, AL

Studio 804 97

Lawrence, KS

Yale Urban Design 107

Workshop 

New Haven, CT

Contact Information 120

Image credits 121

Selected Profiles
1

Preface

Mark Robbins

Director of Design, National Endowment for the Arts

In travels across the country I am often reminded of the distance between

professional discourse and practice in design and architecture and most

aspects of popular and political culture. Design is rarely viewed as an

essential force in making and remaking our society, and too often, social

needs, education, and innovative design are perceived as separated by

unbridgeable gulfs. This is unfortunate and unnecessary. Instead, the

transformative power of design—to achieve aesthetic richness, as well as

practical and programmatic ends—should be brought to the forefront in

discussions about the very real problems of American cities and towns. 

This publication grew out of a series of conversations at the

National Endowment for the Arts about the ways in which our field could

participate in strengthening the presence of the arts in communities

across the county. The contents of the book, originally framed as a

report, document work already underway through university-community

design partnerships in cities and small towns across the country. The programs discussed fulfill social needs while also contributing significantly to

both design education and design excellence. Our hope is that this collection of notable projects and programs will help to reinforce the existing

network of community-based design programs, enhancing communication about best practices and at the same time perhaps stimulating the

creation of new programs and possibilities for increased funding and 

support in the future. 
2

Architecture is a cultural artifact involving memory and material

culture as much as a considered response to the practicalities of program

and construction. The projects in this book range from schools to neighborhood plans and reflect varied approaches to education through

community-based work that often results in built projects. Yet all engage

social factors and local histories, as well as the physical characteristics of

place. They reflect the outcome of teaching that stresses rigorous investigations of both social life and architectural form. Such training on

mapping, urban form, and building technology reinforces the importance

of research in the academic design studio. The result of this pedagogy is

clear in the nine programs presented in this volume. The remarkable

quality of their work signals the possibility of creating a necessary bridge

between the university, the architecture and design professions, and the

society at large. 

The ways buildings, cities, and entire landscapes are designed have

economic, social, and political causes and consequences. Education necessarily involves students and the communities in which they work, as well

as community leaders and elected officials. Each brings different knowledge and experience to the mix. Just as we should listen to the community

we must also listen to and value gifted designers who, often through

inspired leaps, realize not just functional sufficiency in their projects but

the uplift generated by true innovation and vision. The programs featured

here galvanize students to approach community-based projects, and by

extension all public work, with the same vigor that they show in studiobased work. 

It is our obligation as educators and architects to reveal the stunning complexity and nuance of community-based work—limited neither

by our preconceptions, which freeze the growth and evolution of communities in some halcyon past, nor by older models of social organization,

which no longer find real purchase in fact. To apply a generic approach 

or vision does a disservice to all communities that continue to grow and

change. We need to be honest in showing a full range of options, not just

the easiest sell as in the strategies of the marketplace. Without making a

pastiche of regional building traditions—which in the end devalues those
3

traditions—buildings and landscapes can make a strong statement about

cultural continuity and architecture’s role in community. The work of the

Rural Studio, headed by the late Samuel Mockbee and Dennis K. Ruth, is

perhaps the best known, but by no means the only, demonstration of this

principle among the programs featured here.

Such programs achieve community outreach, formal education,

and stimulating architectural and design production, generally with quite

limited resources. They speak for engagement across disciplines and may

serve to counter a diminished public role for architects. Separated from

planning, landscape, infrastructure, and community development, the

practice of architecture can too easily be marginalized, reduced to the

service of specific market forces and the creation of isolated objects. By

contrast, the hybrid work of university-community design partnerships

often embraces the roles of planner, political activist, designer, architect,

and educator in a mix that should be valued and encouraged. One hopes

to see more of this design work built and more projects for community

plans realized. Through this activity, suppositions can be tested and

revised, to the benefit of the academic community, the design profession,

and the broader society in which both work. 

I’d like to thank those who have sustained this project since its

inception, notably The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and its

Executive Director, Sunny Fischer, for their early and generous encouragement and support. Jason Pearson, a former Graham Fellow in Federal

Service at the National Endowment for the Arts, should also be recognized, not only for his authorship of the text but for his efforts in

researching and assembling the program profiles. Over several months,

and continents, he collected and shaped this material, developing and

articulating a strong and perceptive view of these programs and their

needs. Each of the participating design programs merits deep gratitude,

for the work they do every day, as well as their contributions to this volume. The assistance of Jennifer Thompson at Princeton Architectural

Press was vital to the production of this book, as was the initial interest 

of Kevin Lippert in publishing the NEA design series. Graphic designer

M. Christopher Jones of The VIA Group and copy editor Ann Bremner
4

also have my appreciation for the visual and verbal clarity apparent

throughout the book. Finally, I’d like to thank my colleagues at the 

NEA for their interest and faith in the project, and especially Kristina

Alg, Graham Fellow, who has ably helped in the coordination of this 

publication and others in the series.
5

Introduction

When local communities face conditions of physical and economic hardship, human creativity is the most valuable, dependable, and limitless

resource on which they can consistently rely for positive renewal. Success

in these efforts requires the careful work of committed, innovative, locally

engaged professionals who can translate local creativity into real, positive

action and change. Design, as the specialized art of wielding creativity in

practical and deliberate ways to realize innovative, unprecedented solutions to existing challenges, offers particular benefits in these contexts.

Design professionals can be key catalysts in shaping a positive future, and

university-community design partnerships have proved particularly rich

contexts for such innovation in the practice of effective design.

At the heart of this book lies a conviction that design innovation 

is inseparable from social engagement, and thus inseparable from public

service. Design professionals—from graphic designers to planners, 

architects to product designers—are in a unique and strategic position 

to influence the ongoing creation of the images, objects, and environments with which we surround ourselves. With that unique position

comes a responsibility to understand and respond to a larger public 

good. Innovative and effective design not only serves the needs of an

immediate clientele but also seeks to expand and diversify that clientele,

offering inspiration and added value to a broader public with whom it

may be shared.

This publication documents and describes varied instances of such
6

positive design practices, specifically in the provision of high quality, 

university-based design services to underserved local communities. When

designers and communities such as these manage to provide unexpected

solutions to the social and environmental challenges with which we collectively struggle, it is vital that their achievements be recognized,

supported, and shared. It is equally vital that their approaches be examined and scrutinized as potential models for efforts in other communities.

This book, therefore, both documents the work of individual programs

and suggests a framework for sustaining and encouraging such design

programs nationally. 

Background

In October 2000, Design Corps, a Pennsylvania-based community design

center, organized a conference titled “Structures for Inclusion: Designing

for the 98% without Architects” at the Princeton University School of

Architecture. The conference opened with the following statement: 

Only two percent of new homebuyers in the United States work

with an architect. This means that millions of people are living

without the benefits of good design, as they have not had direct

input in the creation of the spaces that they use everyday. And so

good design is reserved for those with wealth and power who

can afford the traditional fee structure. As architecture evolves

with new technology, its practitioners must work to continue the

tradition of service to the community on which the profession

was originally based. “Structures for Inclusion” [aims] to present

current methods of architectural practice that are reaching a

more diverse clientele. 

This book examines a selection of noteworthy universitycommunity design partnerships as models of such socially engaged design

practice that continues “the tradition of service to the community.” It

documents the work of university-based design practitioners who have

found ways to realize alternative design practices and discusses various

possibilities for supporting these efforts and broadening their impact.

These university-community design partnerships offer one 
7

example of an innovation in design practice that simultaneously provides

design quality, pedagogical value, and community engagement. Through

strategic use of university resources, these programs are able to bring

design expertise to underserved communities, and the best examples provide services of impressive design quality in a teaching environment that

contributes to students’ own development as designers. Furthermore,

many of the programs also provide long-term benefits as starting points

for subsequent student, university, and community collaborations on

other projects.

University-community design partnerships provide partial or full

predesign, design, and/or construction services to their local communities. They are often directed by university design faculty, with the

participation of undergraduate and graduate design students. Occurring

in design schools across the country, these programs consistently deliver

design expertise to local constituencies who otherwise might have little or

no access to design services or advice. Frequently, they represent the only

local resources for neighborhood revitalization and can play a pivotal role

in neighborhood design and redesign. 

The programs themselves, however, can typically be viewed as

marginal to design school curricula. They often fall short of the dual

goals of exemplary design and lasting social impact, and they are rarely

integrated with broader university or national initiatives on community

development. Although they may be valued by the particular local constituencies to whom they provide design services, they are only

infrequently perceived as central components of the design education to

which they contribute—or of design culture at large. 

A Proposed Initiative

Against this background, a new initiative could be envisioned to enhance

the existing nationwide network of university-community design partnerships. This initiative would strengthen existing programs and encourage

the formation of new programs as national models. The initiative would
8

aim to support community design practice by promoting the full integration of community design into the curricula of university design programs

nationally, specifically through the encouragement of innovative, rigorous

design practice. Identifying and developing sources and directions of

major support for these programs could serve as catalysts for sustaining

and increasing longer-term state and university support.

One possibility for a new initiative would support community

design programs that result in built projects and can demonstrate a clear

plan for financial self-sufficiency beyond the initial grant period.

Assistance would be provided in crafting proposals, site visits to funded

programs to monitor and advise on progress, identification of talented

designers, encouragement of staff lines with strong design credentials and

expertise in community design, and assistance in the publication and dissemination of program achievements. Ultimately, the benefits of such a

new program would include the completion of high quality built projects,

the training of design professionals (both students and faculty) in sophisticated community-building activities, and a higher national profile for

community-based design.

The current publication seeks to lay the conceptual groundwork

for the possibility of such a new national program, with three specific

objectives:

1. To survey the current state of university-community design

partnerships nationally, with a particular emphasis on regional

distribution and overall characteristics.

2. To provide a policy rationale and programmatic recommendations for philanthropic support of university-based

community design activities.

3. To document selected best practices in the field of universitybased community design, providing a more detailed picture of

the diversity of successful approaches.
9

In support of these objectives, the text addresses the following

questions:

• What is the current state of university-based community

design partnerships?

• What role do university-based community design

partnerships play in their host communities, in university

design curricula, and in national design culture?

• Could this role be expanded? Could these partnerships be

better integrated into host communities/university design 

curricula/design culture, and if so, how?

• In what forms are partnerships currently structured, and are

certain forms of partnership more or less successful?

• What are the financial requirements of successful programs,

and how are these met?

These topics are investigated in preliminary comments on “A

Context for University-Community Design Partnerships” and in profiles

of selected current community design programs. In addition, the publication examines how direct or indirect support might be provided for the

activities of university-community design partnerships. “Strategies for

Support” focuses specifically on the viability of philanthropic support

with recommendations for a variety of support directions and criteria. 

Acknowledgments 

This book is based on a report that was commissioned by the National

Endowment for the Arts and is part of a series of publications about

design and the public realm. My work has been supported by a generous

grant from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and the report would

not have been possible without the encouragement of the foundation’s

Executive Director, Sunny Fischer, whose clear understanding of the contributions of design excellence to social welfare is unique and deeply

appreciated. The project and report were envisioned by Mark Robbins,
10

Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts, during my

tenure at the endowment as a Graham Fellow in Federal Service. His

dual commitment to social engagement and design excellence has been a

foundation for the research, and his close participation has been invaluable to the framing and focus of the final document. The early research

benefited greatly from the contributions of my research assistant, Casius

Pealer, who communicated directly and repeatedly with many of the 

programs profiled here, in addition to assembling the basic data that has

allowed me to present a broad national context for their work. 

Finally, I am particularly grateful to the many community design

experts and practitioners who have shared their work and knowledge with

me over the course of the research. Without their assistance, this volume

would not have been possible. Needless to say, any errors, omissions, or

oversights are entirely my own.

J. P.
11

A Context for UniversityCommunity Design Partnerships

Historical Context

From the first emergence of architects as creators of public space in the

Renaissance to more recent 20th-century institutions of socially engaged

design, such as Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus and Le Corbusier’s Congres

Internationale d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM), architects have understood the role of design as a concerted contribution to civic engagement

and public interest. The 19th-century transformation of architects into

professionals with an ethical responsibility to uphold the public good was

founded on this history, and architects today continue to understand their

role in this light. The expression and vitality of this public role has varied

dramatically over time, however, with public engagement by professional

designers and architects rising and falling cyclically in response to social

and economic forces. 

As a particular expression of public engagement by designers,

community design practice in the United States emerged during the late

1960s and early 1970s as part of broader contemporary social movements

to improve social equity in all aspects of American society. Surveys conducted by the MIT Community Design Resource Center, the Association

of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and the American Institute

of Architects (through its CDC Community Services Department) during

this period suggest that there were typically between 60 and 80 centers in

11
12

operation nationally at any given time between 1970 and 1978. This level

of activity ultimately resulted in the formation of a national network: the

Community Design Center Director’s Association (CDC/DA), later the

Association for Community Design (ACD).

During the 1980s, a sharp reduction in federal support for social

programs resulted in a precipitous decline in the number of community

design centers operating nationally, and of the 80 centers originally documented in the early 1970s, only 12 survive to the present day.

Community design practitioners continued to refine their approaches to

the participatory design process and socially engaged design, but these

activities were undertaken in a dramatically altered context. Many practitioners elected to apply their energies to for-profit design practice as a

mechanism for the delivery of community services. Major corporate

design firms such as Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill initiated pro bono programs to design affordable housing and other community projects for city

and public agencies.

Over time, community-based designers discovered that universities

could provide an opportune host for the long-term provision of design

services in the public interest. The recent growth in community design

practice can be attributed in part to this trend. Another significant factor

in renewed interest was the publication of Building Community: A New

Future for Architecture Education and Practice in 1996. This influential

report from The Carnegie Foundation demonstrated the importance of

community service in architectural education and practice. By 2001 over

80 programs and centers providing affordable design services to local

communities were operating across the country, with 70 percent of the

programs located in universities. These university-community design

partnerships afford substantial opportunities for sustained design excellence, as many of the programs profiled in this volume demonstrate.
13

Pedagogical Context

University-community design partnerships also occur in the context of

developing national interest in project-based and service-based education.

“Service-learning” and “project-based education” both refer to pedagogical models that encourage students to assume public leadership as part of

their educational curriculum by applying theoretical approaches discussed

in the classroom to actual projects in the real world.

In professional fields such as medicine, law, and architecture,

licensing procedures already provide for some hands-on education in the

form of postgraduate internship requirements. These opportunities typically occur in the last stages of prelicensing education, often without a

precise relationship to the overall course of study or a necessary connection to public service. The effectiveness of this sequential approach to

theoretical and practical education has been increasingly questioned in the

higher education community, and there is growing interest in the principles of “service-learning” in both professional and academic contexts.

Between 1999 and 2001, the American Association of Higher

Education has published a series of monographs documenting the value

of service learning in 18 academic disciplines. These publications argue

that the strategic integration of real-world projects into university curricula enhances students’ understanding of academic material by offering

them an opportunity to apply new approaches to concrete social and 

environmental challenges, while simultaneously encouraging active participation in public life. As the success of such programs is proven in

practice, service-learning approaches continue to expand in the academy,

particularly in professional disciplines where interdisciplinary student collaboration on projects has emerged as an exciting possibility.

University-community design partnerships represent a particularly

tangible version of the service-learning approach. By engaging students

and faculty in the design and construction of actual built projects, these

partnerships meet dual educational objectives, simultaneously educating

students in the realities of public service and educating communities

about the value of design in achieving a positive future.
14

Program Types

As community design strategies have evolved, a number of distinct models of practice have emerged. All provide design expertise to local

communities, but they differ substantially in the relative priority placed

on community, educational, and aesthetic objectives, and the benefits they

provide are correspondingly diverse. In practice, most examples of community-based design fall clearly into one of three categories. Of course,

fusions and blends of these approaches also occur, and programs that

match one category in most areas may reflect characteristics of other

approaches in response to specific needs.

University-Based Design/Build Programs

University-based design/build programs represent the most integrated

approach to university-based community design practice, since they tend

to prioritize educational, community, and aesthetic objectives as equally

valuable components of the design process. In these programs, students

design and build a community-based project as part of their regular academic coursework in a professional degree program. Communication

with clients or end users is typically coordinated through a local nonprofit

service organization; the faculty who lead the program frequently establish and maintain the connections to that organization. 

Projects are typically small in scale, frequently completed within

the period of an academic semester or quarter. Occasionally, programs are

structured to allow for larger projects completed by multiple groups of

students over several academic terms. Since the emphasis in these programs is on the completion of built projects, success is often evaluated on

the basis of the quality of completed projects and their contribution to

the life of the community. 

University-Based Community Design Centers

University-based community design centers (CDCs) also provide 

university-based design expertise to local communities, but their leadership is not always drawn from design faculty, and they are less directly
15

integrated into the university curricula. Design faculty may be active in

the work, but CDCs tend to establish independent relationships to university design departments. As a result, student involvement often occurs

through internships or part-time employment, with occasional related

design studios taught by associated faculty.

University-based CDCs frequently employ full-time staff and

therefore tend to be better equipped to offer the continuity required for

long-term community projects. CDC staff and associated faculty are often

actively engaged as advocates and consultants in community planning, at

times acting as liaisons between communities and government agencies. 

CDCs, however, tend to place less (if any) emphasis on the completion of built work, and their contributions to the community design

process often occur in the predesign phase: helping communities to assess

needs, develop clear objectives, and specify program requirements for

future built projects. Implementation of these projects is rarely seen as

the responsibility of the CDC, and communities complete design and

construction phases by contracting with private design firms.

University-based CDCs provide some educational benefits

through tangential student engagement, but their primary focus is community service. Although many strive for aesthetic excellence, their

circumscribed role in the overall design process rarely affords the opportunity to advocate strongly for those values.

Independent Community Design Centers

Independent community design centers are independent organizations

that provide design services to their local communities at affordable rates.

Although many independent CDCs may have originated in universities,

they are typically distinguished by the absence of formal, ongoing relationships to educational institutions. The staff of these centers tend to

think of themselves as members of the community, and their commitment

to the locality is long-term and personal.

From a functional perspective, the design services offered by independent CDCs are indistinguishable from those offered by private design

firms, and there is a corresponding diversity in their character, approach,
16

and scale. Independent CDCs may range in size from one- or two-person

staffs to multi-office organizations employing hundreds, and they may

undertake a wide variety of planning, design, and development projects. 

What differentiates independent CDCs from their for-profit private counterparts is a client base drawn from historically underserved

communities and a commitment to offering services at below-market

rates. Unlike university-based programs, independent CDCs have the

freedom to undertake projects of all scales and durations, with the larger

centers offering a full range of planning, design, and construction services. Many centers also engage in community activism and advocacy, often

offering economic assistance and job training as part of their approach.

Independent CDCs share with university-based CDCs a primary

emphasis on community service. Their ability to maintain high aesthetic

quality depends on the scale of projects undertaken and the political context in which they work. In general, however, the significant negotiation

with local government offices required by the public nature of their projects tends to work against ambitious aesthetic standards.

National Distribution

National statistics for community design practice are unreliable, primarily

due to the absence of consistent national surveys and documentation. The

only centralized national network of community design practitioners—the

Association for Community Design (ACD)—uses a relatively narrow definition of community design practice, and numerous university-based and

independent programs are excluded from the ACD’s national directory. In

spite of these uncertainties, however, the high proportion of community

design programs founded in the last five years suggests that interest and

commitment in the field is growing nationally.

The majority of community design practitioners appear to work

through community design centers, more than half of which are located

within universities. Of the 85 programs currently identified as providers

of community-based design service, 11 (13 percent) are university-based
17

design/build studios, 48 (57 percent) are university-based community

design centers, and 26 (30 percent) are independent community design

centers. 

Most university programs are located in public universities, and

particularly in public land grant universities. Only 10 (19 percent) of the

53 universities that host community design activities are private; 36 (84

percent) of the 43 public universities are state land grant institutions.

This is not surprising, since the charters of land grant universities necessarily include a responsibility to provide community service as a

component of their broader outreach mission. 

As indicated on the illustrated maps, the 85 identified programs

are distributed in 38 states across the country, with a strong presence in

the South and Great Lakes regions. In part, this concentration in the 

geographical center of the country reflects a greater population of underserved rural communities that stand to benefit from the services of

community design practitioners in these areas. Similarly, relatively light

concentrations in the West and on the coasts seem to reflect the broader

general availability of design resources, including for underserved populations, in these areas. Furthermore, programs in less densely populated

areas of the country tend to serve larger regions, often offering services

on a statewide basis, while programs in more urban areas of the country

tend to concentrate their efforts in specific local communities.
18

Locations of community design programs

Hawaii Puerto Rico

Alaska: None identified

Breakdown of community design programs by type
19

Distribution of community design programs by region

Hawaii Puerto Rico

Alaska: None identified

Areas served by community design programs

Hawaii Puerto Rico

Alaska: None identified
20
21

Strategies for Support

Support for university-community design partnerships could have a significant impact on the field of community design, as well as on design

education and community development. Opportunities exist for support

through indirect policy-level advocacy and direct grantmaking programs.

The strategies indicated below suggest possible indirect and direct

approaches for support.

Support for the Field

The following are some of the areas in which advocacy and other types of

indirect support might significantly benefit university-community design

partnerships.

• Dissemination. The lack of adequate documentation and dissemination of exemplary practice is one of the most pressing

needs voiced by leading practitioners in the field. Although

many are tangentially familiar with each other’s work, few

mechanisms exist for sharing information about innovative

alternative approaches. Sponsorship could include support for

independent publication of best practices, panel presentations

at national conferences, or a database of best practices with

public on-line availability.

• Networking. Direct communication and networking among
22

practitioners represent other opportunities for sharing information and developing new strategies. Foundations might

take a leadership role in catalyzing support for a meeting of

practitioners to discuss strategy and share knowledge. Such a

forum could also provide an opportunity for active student

engagement in the spirit of the “Structures for Inclusion”

conference cited in the introduction.

• Coordination. Community design practitioners are intermittently supported by a number of federal programs, including

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. Advocacy

for design quality in these contexts could make a substantial

impact on the ultimate quality of design work supported by

these federal programs.

• Training. As discussed elsewhere in this book, the skills

required for effective university-community partnerships are

unique but portable, and support for institutions that have 

not yet established strong design-build programs could

include initial support for training sessions by experienced

leaders in the field, either as visiting faculty or in the context

of a national conference or symposium not unlike the

“Structures for Inclusion” conference, which was funded in

part by an NEA grant.

Support for Individual Programs

Direct grant support to individual programs remains a point of strong

leverage for positive impact in the field of community design. The following values should be integral to any program of grantmaking to

support innovative university-community design partnerships. 

• Flexibility. The diversity of programs profiled in this publication demonstrates that effective, innovative, high quality

community design practice can emerge from a range of

approaches. Guidelines for support should therefore empha-
23

size performance standards, not program design. Any attempt

to tailor guidelines to a specific model or approach will tend

to discourage innovation unnecessarily.

• Leadership. Strong, inspired leadership is critical to the success of all of the programs outlined in this report, and

evaluation of prospective programs should include attention

to the proven leadership ability of their staff and the commitment of this lead staff to values of high quality design in the

context of educational and community service. 

• Quality. Application guidelines should establish clear and

ambitious standards for design quality and should require

applicants to demonstrate a basis for ensuring such quality.

Guidelines should be specific about the definition of design

quality on which evaluation will be based. An integrated definition that synthesizes educational, aesthetic, and community

priorities could provide the basis for such clarification.

• Impact. Although there is undeniable value in universitycommunity design partnerships providing support services

that do not result in actual construction, commitment to integrated design quality argues for an emphasis on programs that

provide educational and community benefits through the

completion of actual built work. The scale of these built projects is less important, given differing capacities of individual

programs, than their commitment to high quality physical

results as a necessary outcome of the partnership process. 

• Assessment. Application guidelines should require applicants

to provide preliminary descriptions of expected project 

outcomes, and supported organizations should be asked to

provide follow-up documentation of the impact of support.

Though not necessarily a benchmark for evaluation, such

information will aid in evaluating the ambitions of individual

programs.
24
25

Selected Profiles

The following pages offer specific case studies as models for the 

community-based provision of design services. Although not all the 

documented programs are university-based, most involve opportunities

for participation by students or young practitioners. 

In general, the documented programs have established track

records of successful work with their local communities, and the quality

of their work has been demonstrated over a number of years. Each program represents a distinct model of practice and gives slightly different

priorities to design pedagogy, project quality, and community

engagement. Taken together, the programs present a broad spectrum of

approaches to community-based design and provide numerous insights

into the challenges and opportunities intrinsic to such practice.

Each profile includes detailed information about the specific

organization of that program. Unless otherwise noted, this information

was obtained directly from individual programs through surveys, interviews, and, when possible, site visits. Additionally, the profiled programs

were able to provide detailed information about budgets and operations,

enhancing their usefulness as models. (Variations in profile length reflect

differences in the amount of information provided by the individual programs. Additional information can be obtained through the contact

information at the back of the book.)
26

Format and Key Characteristics

Each profile includes summary information followed by descriptions of

the program’s history and leadership, philosophy and working methods,

curriculum/pedagogy, approaches to community engagement, and 

sources of support. Concluding remarks outline program representatives’

thoughts on future development. One or more exemplary projects are

also featured in each profile—in the narrative, in illustrations, or both.

Illustrations of completed projects are included to document quality 

and scale. 

The following key characteristics recur frequently and might 

represent significant baseline characteristics for the support of continuing

or future programs:

• Emphasis on innovation in design strategies.

• Synthesis of community, educational, and aesthetic priorities

to achieve maximum value.

• Commitment to realizing built projects.

• Strong leadership with institutional support and community

engagement.

• Long-term community involvement through partnerships.
27

Archeworks

Location Chicago, IL

Program type Independent design school

Lead staff Eva L. Maddox (codirector), Stanley Tigerman (codirector)

Total staff 4

Date founded 1994

Annual activity

Budget $400,000

# of projects 3

# of students 10–25

Summary

Archeworks is an independent design school that

offers a one-year curriculum in alternative

design to undergraduates, graduate students, and

professionals. The curriculum focuses on the

provision of innovative, implemented design

solutions to end users from traditionally underserved populations, employing a team-based

multidisciplinary research and design method.

Archeworks is not affiliated with a major professional design program, and the Archeworks

curriculum is conceived as an alternative to traditional design education.

Mission 

The mission of Archeworks is to address social

needs by developing and providing alternative

design education solutions through a multidisciplinary process. By involving participants in

actual hands-on projects, Archeworks aims to

expose them to problems that are not generally

addressed in other established design institutions, breaking down conventional barriers

between professional disciplines for the benefit

of society.
28
29

History and Leadership

Conceived in the spring of 1992, Archeworks officially opened its doors

in the fall of 1994 in a warehouse loft in near south side Chicago. Since

its founding, Archeworks has strived to be a socially minded alternative to

traditional architecture and design curricula. Founders Stanley Tigerman

and Eva L. Maddox are committed to maintaining the school on an intimate scale, with a maximum of 25 intern students, taking their cue from

precursors such as the Bauhaus school in Germany and Frank Lloyd

Wright’s Taliesin in Wisconsin. In 1997, Archeworks moved into its present headquarters in the design arts district of Chicago: a single-story

building designed from the ground up by Stanley Tigerman. 

Stanley Tigerman is a principal in the Chicago architectural firm

of Tigerman McCurry. He is widely recognized as a leader in the architectural community, and prior to founding Archeworks, he was chair of

the Department of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Eva Maddox is principal of Eva Maddox Associates, Inc., an

award-winning multidisciplinary design firm. She was recently identified

by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s most influential women.

Archeworks has a board of trustees composed of leading Chicago

professionals, businesspeople, and public figures. Day-to-day operations

are managed by Executive Director Molly Baltman.

Philosophy and Working Methods

Archeworks’ two cofounders take a hands-on role in the programs under

study each year. The heart of the program is a yearlong, research-based,

team-centered curriculum that leads to the development of innovative

design solutions for real-world implementation. Design research undertaken by project teams includes library- and Internet-based background

study, meetings with focus groups made up of proposed end users (i.e.

HIV/AIDS patients, homeless people, school children, people with disabilities), and interviews with professionals working in relevant fields.

p. 27:

Lakefront SRO, Chicago,

1996–97

The Archeworks project

team redesigned one

Single Room Occupancy

unit to enhance

accessibility for

differently-abled tenants,

developing prototypes for

numerous furniture design

modifications.

p. 28:

Accessible desk, 

Lakefront SRO

This desk is one of several

furniture prototypes

designed and built by the

project team. Drawers are

designed to pivot in both

directions, allowing access

from either side.
30

Research continues as part of the project development and implementation process. 

Given the small size of the school, Archeworks teams depend on

one another for mutual feedback and inspiration. The work space is an

open warehouse that encourages cross-pollination of ideas between different teams. If a team is creating a device or product where prototyping is

necessary, Archeworks offers a wood/metal workshop that provides

interns with the tools needed to create models and, finally, actual products ready for testing by end users. Critiques held at the midpoint and

end of the semester include community members, experts in related

fields, and end users and offer an opportunity to share ideas and

approaches across teams and groups of end users.

The school has also undertaken onetime special projects in parallel

with its mission, including creation of the David Award for Excellence in

Design for People with Disabilities, an international competition to bring

original concepts, ideas, or products to the attention of the design community and to improve the lives of those with physical or mental

pp. 30 and 31:

Head pointer, 1995–96

This pointing device for

persons with cerebral

palsy was designed as

both a piece of functional

engineering and a kind of

sportswear: lightweight,

comfortable, attractive,

and practical. The design

is now being produced and

distributed by a major

medical equipment

supplier.
31

disabilities. The results of this competition were published in a widely

distributed catalogue.

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Archeworks accepts applications from students enrolled in undergraduate

and graduate programs, as well as professionals at various stages of career

development. Past interns have brought experience in art, architecture,

art history, industrial design, interior design, nursing/health care, political

science, education, creative writing, and urban planning. Typically one

third of the students are architects, one third are designers in other

media, and one third are trained in other areas. Interns pay annual tuition

of $5,000, for which scholarship support is sometimes available through

corporate sponsorship.

Archeworks instructors annually create up to three project teams

of individuals from varying disciplines with the belief that the best 
32

solutions are discovered through a teamwork approach utilizing expertise

from many backgrounds. Project teams include three to eight interns,

with a maximum total enrollment of 25 for all project teams. The focus of

each team is determined in advance by Archeworks instructors, with the

opportunity for negotiation and revision by participating interns. As background for early research, Tigerman and Maddox teach parallel courses

on ethics and on research and development, respectively. 

The program’s literature identifies four benefits that interns can

expect to gain from a year at Archeworks: “Giving Back to Society in 

an Imperfect World”; “Socially Responsible Design with Real-World

Implementation”; “Experience Working in Multidiscipline Teams”; and

“Global Networking to Explore Alternative Careers.” These benefits 

are all understood to derive from the unique process of working in teams

to offer complete, innovative, implemented design solutions to end users

in need. 

Several projects have resulted in products that have moved into

larger-scale production after completion of the course. Because the school

differs substantially from existing models of design education, it has

received significant attention and acclaim, including a P/A Award from

Architecture Magazine in 1998 acknowledging Archeworks’ role in

pioneering multidisciplinary team approaches to service-learning. 

Community Engagement

Archeworks engages end users for whom it develops proposals through

direct partnership with local organizations and experts. Local partners

have included, among others:

• Lakefront SRO, for a universal living unit for the

handicapped or infirm elderly (with Knoll and USG).

• Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, for a new head pointer

for people with cerebral palsy (now available through

Sammons-Preston medical catalog).
33

• Women’s Self Employment Project, for visual merchandizing techniques and concepts for women launching

independent micro-enterprises. 

• West Humbolt Park Community Development Corporation

and DePaul University, for improvements to an underprivileged African American neighborhood.

• Hektoen Institute and Cook County Hospital, for a new

medication carrier for people with AIDS and patient

brochures to explain compliance. 

• Chicago Board of Education, for a unique web site for the

Piccolo School, a school the board of education has placed on

probation, to facilitate communication between students,

teachers, parents, and the community.

• Teknion, Inc., for development of a car transfer device to help

people with Alzheimer’s disease get into vehicles. 

• Illinois Department of Human Services, for a new model

office to motivate case workers and encourage self-esteem in

people using the welfare system.

As the diversity of these projects suggests, the Archeworks team

model allows for substantial flexibility in the provision of design solutions

tailored to specific partners and end users. The yearlong duration of the

curriculum also allows interns in-depth engagement with the community

whom their project will serve.

Sources of Support

Archeworks is a nonprofit organization funded by foundation grants and

individual donors, many of whom have been identified through the personal connections of the two cofounders. Partial support is also provided

by a City Arts Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of

Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
34

In 2001, approximately 25 percent of the total budget was dedicated to staff expenses, including those of the executive director, her

assistant, and outside consultants and facilitators. The remainder of the

budget is allocated to operating expenses, of which real estate taxes for

the downtown location represent an unexpectedly large percentage, 

currently almost 25 percent. Tuition payments contribute a fraction of

total income. Most income comes from charitable contributions and 

biannual benefit events. Tigerman and Curry contribute their time on a

pro bono basis.

Future Development

Currently, Archeworks is working to avoid institutionalization of its 

curriculum, which its leaders feel would undermine flexibility and 

benefits. Tigerman has scaled back his role in the curriculum in order to

allow it more freedom, and he plans to focus his efforts on broadening

national conversations about socially engaged design through symposia

and other events.
35

Blue Soup Outreach

Location Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles, CA

Program type Design/Build Program

Lead staff Randall Wilson, Michael Pinto

Total staff 2.5

Date founded 1992 (originally called the City, Practice & Research Center; 

renamed Blue Soup in 2001)

Annual activity

Budget $140,000

# of projects 2–3

# of students 120

Summary

Blue Soup is an outreach program of the

Southern California Institute of Architecture

(SCI-Arc) that provides multidisciplinary design

services in design/build, research, design, planning, community teaching, and publications to

local communities in and around Los Angeles.

Blue Soup applies the practical problem-solving

skills of design to local challenges through partnership and collaboration with communitybased organizations, with a strong emphasis on

the integration of project implementation into

the academic curricula. Blue Soup has recently

shifted its focus from community service to

community collaboration, in which community

partners contribute to the design process and

help shape the final product and achieve positive

impact at a social, political, and cultural level. 

Mission

The overall mission of SCI-Arc is to test the

limits of architecture in order to transform existing conditions into the designs of the future.

Working in support of this mission, Blue Soup is

dedicated to engaging the needs of the city and

its inhabitants in a practical model that includes

research, design, and implementation. 
36
37

History and Leadership

SCI-Arc was founded in 1972; outreach programs at the school were

formed in 1992 as the City, Practice & Research Center (CPRC), since

renamed Blue Soup. Two staff/faculty members are currently devoted to

Blue Soup outreach programming; temporary affiliations with the program are common.

Michael Pinto, who was named coordinator of Blue Soup outreach

programming in 2001, is a member of the SCI-Arc design faculty and a

privately practicing architect. He holds a B.Arch. from the Pennsylvania

State University and an M.Arch. from SCI-Arc and is design principal at

Osborn, a multidisciplinary design practice focused on community-based

architecture. His responsibilities include developing new projects, recruiting faculty, researching funding opportunities, and planning marketing

strategies. Pinto is engaged in the Blue Soup program part-time.

Randall Wilson is SCI-Arc shopmaster, a member of the visual

studies faculty, and a practicing visual artist. He holds a B.F.A. from

Colorado State University and an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and

Design. Wilson is a long-time faculty member who initiated outreach

programming at SCI-Arc, maintains relationships with partner organizations, and develops new program ideas. He is engaged at Blue Soup

full-time.

Philosophy and Working Methods

Blue Soup’s program philosophy and working methods coincide with 

the general institutional framework of SCI-Arc. Founded as a radical

alternative to conventional architectural education, SCI-Arc continues to

question conventional academic models. In contrast to programs with 

set philosophical positions, SCI-Arc is known for encouraging multiple

viewpoints, functioning as a center for critical dialogue and new ideas 

in design. 

In day-to-day operations, SCI-Arc’s students and faculty work

Cycles of Expression, 

Los Angeles, 1995–

In the first phase of this

program, SCI-Arc students

and community youth

produced “pedomotive”

vehicles from discarded

bikes. Here the vehicles

are shown exhibited at

Grand Central Station in

New York City.

SCI-Arc students later

designed, fabricated, and

installed 10 site-specific

bicycle racks in Los

Angeles as functional

public art works through

sponsorship by several

local government

agencies.
38

together as partners in intellectual cooperation. The faculty/student ratio

is low, and learning is based on the needs of individual students. SCI-Arc

is well-known for its action-oriented approach and its tradition as a social

and design laboratory. 

Each Blue Soup project deals with some form of practical problem

solving. This might involve creating built structures or functional implements, imparting vital skills to community members or groups, or

producing design documents, master plans, or policy and program guidelines. In each project, Blue Soup typically delivers a different combination

of these components of architectural practice.

Blue Soup projects generally fall into one of the following 

categories:

• Design/Build. Working with a community group to design

and build critically needed projects.

• Research, Design, and Planning. Working with a community group to plan or design a project through any phase of the

development process, including predesign, research and programming, or policy writing.

• Community Teaching. Developing innovative training and

work projects with community members and youths in neighborhoods traditionally underserved by the arts and specialized

education.

• Publication/Documentation. Producing project-related

descriptive or promotional materials, which are often used to

support community action.

Blue Soup works primarily in and around the City of Los Angeles.

With the recent move of SCI-Arc to downtown Los Angeles, Blue Soup

has renewed its interest in the urban core of the city. 

The program actively seeks collaborations with organizations

addressing social needs in unique ways. Relationships develop either

through word of mouth or through opportunistic involvement on the

basis of issues identified in the popular media. Although Blue Soup–

initiated relationships do not always lead to real projects, the program
39

Above and p. 35:

Skid Row Housing Trust,

Los Angeles, 2001

SCI-Arc students designed

and fabricated furnishings

for a new satellite location

for this homeless housing

and advocacy organization

in downtown Los Angeles.

The students worked in

collaboration with

alumnae Chantal Aquin

and Rocio Romero, who

designed and coordinated

the project with students,

donors, and clients. 

Right:

KAOS Network, Youth Arts

Space, Los Angeles, 2001

As part of a studio focused

on a proposal for a

contested public space in

the Leimert Park

neighborhood, students

renovated a storefront as a

vehicle for communication

and collaboration with the

community.
40

staff are committed to proactively identifying areas of need, in addition to

responding to communities who initiate contact. 

Local evaluation of individual project success is an important component of Blue Soup’s working method. One component of the evaluation

process occurs through Blue Soup’s ongoing relationship with the City of

Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, from which SCI-Arc has

received six consecutive grants. An evaluation panel reviews implementation of completed projects, and panel comments are integrated into each

subsequent year’s programming. Blue Soup also seeks direct feedback

from the groups with whom it works one year after project completion.

An internal process to evaluate educational benefits is also under development and will probably be based on surveys of former participants.

Curriculum/Pedagogy

One of the key objectives of the Blue Soup program is the education of

students in the implications of working in the public realm by demonstrating that theoretical approaches learned in other studios are relevant

in practice to the outreach projects undertaken by Blue Soup. By demonstrating the value of complex design research for real-life projects, Blue

Soup acts as a hinge between often isolated areas of theory and practice.

Over the course of an academic year (three semesters), Blue Soup

typically conducts five seminar courses and three studio level courses.

Each course accommodates approximately 15 students, with a total annual

involvement of approximately 120 students. Students are screened for

participation in more advanced projects to ensure the possession of skills

necessary for implementation of the design work. Students are generally

involved with all aspects of a Blue Soup project, including budget, schedule, design, detail, construction, approvals, client relationships, and

material technology. Each project is broken down into 15-week segments

that work with the academic schedule, with longer projects broken into a

phased schedule for completion by consecutive student teams.

Students receive academic credit for their participation in each
41

Blue Soup course. Depending on the scope of the course and the intensity of client involvement, students may also be employed as paid staff, i.e.

as teaching assistants. In addition, students have volunteered when there

is a compatibility of interests, although the program does not depend on

student volunteers.

Community Engagement

In each project, Blue Soup utilizes links to the community established by

a partner organization. Blue Soup participants and staff attend community meetings, frequent local businesses, and share special events and

festivals as members of the community. Blue Soup does not consider itself

an educator of the community but rather a collaborator that invites input

and expertise. Blue Soup participants exercise a policy of reciprocal

respect that allows all participants to learn from the process. 

Groups that have collaborated with the program include The

KAOS Network (a multimedia youth involvement project), the

Chinatown Business Improvement District, the HeArt Project (which

brings arts programming to continuation high school students), and the

Skid Row Housing Trust (a homeless-housing organization). Blue Soup is

currently pursuing a relationship with SCI-Arc’s new partner high school,

Manual Arts High School on the east side of Los Angeles.

Sources of Support

Currently, about half of the Blue Soup budget comes from grants and

foundations, and the other half comes from school tuition and earned

income. Financial support from SCI-Arc comes from the general operating budget of the school. The Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department 

is also a long-time partner and supporter of Blue Soup programs. Blue

Soup’s target budget for the 2002–03 year is $149,700. This includes

$70,000 from grants, $74,700 from tuition and earned income from 
42

SCI-Arc, and $5,000 from in-kind donations. As the program grows, 

Blue Soup is assessing its budget and attempting to increase outside funding. SCI-Arc has challenged the program to work towards financial

self-sufficiency.

While the program has been in development, Blue Soup has not

charged fees for its services. It has, however, asked for donations from

partner organizations to cover expenses in each project. Decisions to 

provide service currently include consideration of partner organizations’

ability to cover project expenses, the scale of the benefit that can be

derived from the project, and the demonstrated need of the potential

partners. Blue Soup hopes to increase dependence on grants and donations as a way to allow more freedom in the selection of projects for 

the program.

Future Development

Program staff believe that they have perfected strategies for short-term

effectiveness but express concerns that the program lacks long-term

strategies targeting specific alliances, relevant funding sources, impact

assessment, and relevance to broader conversations about design. They

are interested in targeting these areas for future development, when feasible, and in working to establish strategic alliances with like-minded and

complementary institutions in the areas of public policy, land use, and

real estate redevelopment in order to broaden Blue Soup’s positive impact

in local communities. 

Blue Soup aims to eventually be perceived as a grant-giving agency

that provides grants in the form of in-kind design service. This would

allow Blue Soup to solicit applications for projects from prospective partners and be more strategic in its selection of projects to pursue. Projects

could be diversified and resources directed toward the most appropriate

locations.
43

Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative 

and Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio

Location Cleveland, OH (affiliated with Kent State University, Kent, OH)

Program type University-based community design center

Lead staff Ruth Durack (director), Andrew Baqué (associate director)

Total staff 8 full-time, 2 part-time (+1 to 3 graduate assistants)

Date founded 1983 (Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio); 

1999 (Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative)

Annual activity

Budget $800,000

# of projects 12–15

# of students 20–30

Summary

The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative

(CUDC) is the Cleveland-based urban component of the Urban Design Center of Northeast

Ohio (UDC), a university-based community

service organization committed to improving the

quality of urban places through technical design

assistance, research, education, and advocacy.

The UDC offers architectural and urban design

expertise in the service of urban communities,

design professionals, and the planning and public policy work of state universities in Akron,

Youngstown, and Cleveland. The UDC maintains two offices, one in Kent and one at the

CUDC.

Mission

The UDC’s broad mission is to improve the

quality of urban places in Northeast Ohio

through technical design assistance, research,

education, and advocacy. The CUDC uses its

location in downtown Cleveland to realize this

mission through the revitalization of Cleveland

neighborhoods. 
44

History and Leadership

The Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio was created in 1983 under the

sponsorship of the Urban University Program, which supports the outreach

and community service efforts of Ohio’s state universities working in urban

areas. Under its founding director, Foster Armstrong, the center expanded on

the existing outreach and public service activities of the Kent State University

School of Architecture and Environmental Design, focusing particularly on

historic preservation and the problems of Northeast Ohio’s smaller towns and

cities. At the same time, working with studio courses at Kent State, the UDC

undertook research into larger urban issues in Cleveland and other areas. 

In recent years, the UDC has significantly expanded its technical

design capacity, particularly through the 1999 creation of the Cleveland

Urban Design Collaborative. Since 1998, the center has been run by

Director Ruth Durack, who oversees the technical content of all projects. 

She consults with Associate Director Andrew Baqué on the appointment 

of a project director for each CUDC project. Junior staff time is allocated 

in monthly staff meetings according to the specific skills required for 

various tasks. 

The UDC employs eight full-time staff, two part-time staff, and one

to three graduate student assistants. All staff are paid at competitive rates.

Philosophy and Working Methods

The UDC provides technical design assistance to urban communities and

neighborhoods seeking to become more livable places. The staff offer professional expertise in master planning, commercial district revitalization,

recreation planning, design guidelines, historic preservation, residential redevelopment, campus planning, streetscape design, and other areas.

Typical assignments include urban design and planning projects such

as neighborhood master plans, downtown redevelopment programs, commercial and industrial corridor revitalization strategies, streetscape

improvements, and design guidelines. Most projects last 9 to 12 months, and

p. 43:

CUDC Offices, Cleveland

As a downtown urban

outreach office for Kent

State University, the CUDC

office hosts design

charettes, local planning

meetings, informal

exhibits, and social events,

in addition to providing

office space for the

professional staff and

studio space for the

Graduate Program in

Urban Design.
45

Canal Basin Charette, Cleveland, 2000

This weekend-long charette generated

innovative design ideas for the reclamation of Canal Basin, once the entrance

to the most important inland waterway

in the United States. Participants

included landscape design experts

Stanley Allen, Ignacio Bunster-Ossa,

Peter Latz, and Aunradha Mathur. The

designers concentrated on developing

process and identifying strategies for

the gradual transformation of the site

into a public amenity. Their ideas were

widely publicized and generated new

local awareness of the potential of the

Cuyahoga Valley as a historic and recreational corridor.

1 / 2

Plan, seeding pattern

proposal by Anuradha

Mathur

3

Plan of analysis by

Stanley Allen

4

View of Peter Latz

proposal

5

Plan by Ignacio BunsterOssa

1 4

2

5

3
46

the center typically has 12 to 15 active projects in different states of completion at any time. To promote the continuing professional development of

junior staff, the center attempts to create a small team for each project that

remains involved through all phases of the work.

The CUDC is located in a renovated “flatiron” building in the heart

of historic Cleveland, and its urban location affords significant opportunities

to act as a catalyst for design activity in the city. In addition to housing the

offices of CUDC staff, the building accommodates a design studio for Kent

State University students, who may elect to enroll in urban-centered design

studios conducted on-site by Kent State faculty and CUDC staff, and a large

conference room that the collaborative makes available to the larger community for planning and design meetings.

The center organizes its activities around four interlocking goals,

seeking to:

• Develop information about the physical environment and design

and development issues. Sample projects include regional studies

of the effects of suburban sprawl and an analysis of the barriers to

production of affordable housing in Northeast Ohio.

• Provide technical design assistance to urban communities and

neighborhoods seeking to become more livable places.

• Inform decision-makers and the public about the importance

of good design in revitalizing old communities, building new

ones, and protecting the natural and historic resources of the

region. This includes suggesting design alternatives for areas

under development.

• Work cooperatively with educational, professional, and volunteer organizations with similar missions, in such community

activities as design workshops, demonstration projects, and public information meetings.

In all of its work the UDC seeks to encourage ecological integrity, protect

natural and cultural resources, stimulate economic prosperity, enhance the

public realm, and create sustainable, livable communities.

The UDC does not undertake construction projects.
47

University Circle Charette, Cleveland, 1999

University Circle is home to some of

Cleveland’s most important cultural

institutions, but it suffers from an outdated traffic design that poses problems

for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists

alike.

The UDC was invited to develop proposals for the site, and it organized a

weekend-long design charette with

nationally recognized landscape designers Balmori Associates, Hargreaves

Associates, Martha Schwartz, Inc., and

Wallace Roberts Todd. The four teams’

proposals were presented at a public

session, and their common recommendation to “daylight” Doan Brook—a

once-natural stream that currently

flows through an underground concrete

pipe—made a strong impression on the

local community. 

1

Landscape proposal by

Hargreaves Associate

2

View of proposed

multiuse paths by

Balmori Associates

3

Overall scheme by

Martha Schwartz, Inc.

and Hargreaves

Associates

1 2

3
48

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Connections between the UDC and the curriculum of the Kent State

University School of Architecture are based primarily on the exchange of

students and faculty. The UDC typically employs up to three graduate assistants for two semesters each year, paying both their tuition costs and a

stipend for 10 hours of work per week. These assistants help to maintain academic connections between the UDC and the School of Architecture and to

transfer ideas and techniques between design studios and the collaborative’s

professional practice. 

Student employees are typically involved in data collection and neighborhood analysis, concept development, and the preparation of digital and

freehand presentation graphics. Students are encouraged to participate in

client meetings and public workshops, and the center attempts to assign them

to projects that will be completed within their two-semester period of

employment. Students who are not members of the staff are also strongly

encouraged to participate in the UDC’s public activities and any projectrelated meetings that could contribute to their professional development. 

The graduate program, through which students can enroll in design

studios based at the CUDC, involves approximately 12 students in each year

of a two-year program and frequently uses UDC projects as studio exercises.

Participating students are invited to observe project meetings and to participate in public programs that are hosted in the UDC offices.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in UDC research

projects undertaken independently and through the graduate program of the

School of Architecture at Kent State University. In these research projects,

the UDC develops information about the physical environment and design

and development issues with the goal of contributing to regional and national

dialogues on urban design. Current research initiatives include an evolving

study of the redevelopment of commercial corridors in Cleveland and its

inner-ring suburbs. 

Interested faculty members are invited to participate in projects that

would benefit from their experience or offer an opportunity to extend their

research interests. Faculty are paid through project fees and do not receive
49

release time from the university. Only three faculty members have completed

projects for the center over the last three years.

Community Engagement

The UDC and CUDC see much of their work as based on community service to underserved populations. Clients are generally groups that could not

otherwise access technical design services, including community development

corporations, local government departments, and nonprofit advocacy groups.

The center only works on projects that are in the public interest and does not

work for private developers. The center encourages strong participation from

clients in every step of the design process, and clients typically serve as

liaisons between the UDC and CUDC and the communities affected by a

project’s design recommendations. 

The CUDC maintains a continuous relationship with three key 

agencies: the City of Cleveland’s Community Development Department,

Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI), and the Local Initiative Support

Coalition (LISC). Most funding for the community development corporations on whose projects the CUDC works is channeled through these

agencies, and staff work closely with them to develop appropriate approaches

for community involvement. Community relationships are further developed

through project work; through participation in local and regional programs

sponsored by groups such as the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency,

Greater Cleveland Growth Association, and local chapters of the American

Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Planning Association (APA); and

through serving on neighborhood design review boards and the advisory

boards of various nonprofit organizations involved in community development issues.

In addition to its service role, the UDC places a strong emphasis on

advocacy to develop awareness of excellence in urban design through publications, public programs including design charettes and lectures, and direct

advocacy by serving on design review boards and other bodies. Additionally,

the UDC has begun two new initiatives: an awards program to recognize
50

contributions to the urban environment and an educational program for citizens and professionals who make decisions about the built environment.

Sources of Support

The CUDC is supported by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Urban University

Program and the School of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent

State University. The UDC’s annual budget is approximately $800,000, with

funding sources as follows:

University: 51% (School of Architecture and 

university at large)

State of Ohio: 12% (Urban University Program)

Foundations: 25% (Cleveland, Gund, Wean, and 

FirstEnergy Foundations)

Community: 12% (project fees)

The center does not employ development staff, and the director

works directly with the university’s development office to raise support.

Future Development

Director Ruth Durack identifies the difficulty of supporting continuing 

professional staff development in new theoretical approaches and technical

innovations in urban design practice as the greatest ongoing challenge to the

attainment of consistently high design standards. The center has explored 

the possibility of establishing a “Designer-in-Residence” program through

which to invite an experienced or uniquely qualified urban designer to

Cleveland for an extended period to work on one or more specific local 

issues with national significance.
51

Design Corps

Location Raleigh, NC

Program type Independent nonprofit design service

Lead staff Bryan Bell (executive director)

Total staff 6 (director + 5 interns)

Date founded 1991 (incorporated 1997)

Annual activity

Budget $103,000

# of projects varies

# of students 5 (post-degree interns)

Summary

Design Corps is a nonprofit organization that

provides affordable, quality architectural and

housing services at substantially below cost to

low-income individuals and families through

offices and partnerships in Gettysburg,

Pennsylvania; Durham, North Carolina; and

Newbern, Alabama. Design Corps is not housed

within a university, but Bryan Bell, its founder

and executive director, has actively encouraged

university-community design activity through

partnerships and conferences, including the

“Structures for Inclusion” conference cited in

the Introduction.

Mission

The mission of Design Corps is to provide the

benefits of good design to those who would not

otherwise have access to design services. The

program places an emphasis on service to real

clients, with whom Design Corps staff communicate directly to accurately establish needs and

develop appropriate designs.
52
53

History and Leadership

Design Corps was founded by Bryan Bell, an Ivy-league trained architect

who began his professional career working for the prestigious New York

architecture firm of Steven Holl Architects. Finding himself increasingly

frustrated with the lack of connection between his work and broader

social challenges, he left this promising career in search of a way to offer

his design services to a specific community he recognized as in serious

need of better housing options: migrant farmers in rural Pennsylvania.

Bell initially went to work for Rural Opportunities, Inc. (ROI), a

private, nonprofit regional community development and human service

organization providing services to farm workers, low-income families, and

economically depressed communities. Working at ROI, Bell obtained a

detailed knowledge of both the specific housing challenges that rural

farmers and migrant workers faced and the federal aid programs that

were available to assist them. Based on the experience and information he

gained with ROI, Bell founded Design Corps in 1991.

Design Corps continues to pursue the mission of providing high

quality design services to low-income individuals and families in need. As

the organization has developed, it has established two primary focus

areas: a program to create affordable migrant farm worker housing for

Pennsylvania growers and a program to provide affordable housing to

full-time resident families in the area.

Design Corps is governed by a board of directors that meets annually to review and discuss the work of the organization. The board is

composed of designers and nondesigners and serves as a multidisciplinary

guiding body for the organization. Members of an advisory committee

serve as references on particular matters such as grant writing, funding,

community action, and design.

Philosophy and Working Methods

Design Corps is based on the idea that good design accommodates people

p. 51:

Design Corps fellow

working with a family

The Moreno family at the

groundbreaking for their

home, Arendstville,

Pennsylvania, 1996

p. 52:

Guest worker houses,

Sunnyside Farms,

Washington, Virginia, 2002

House for a cherry picker,

New Oxford, Pennsylvania,

2000
54

in their day-to-day lives with programmatic solutions, and in recognition

of the fact that such good design is not typically available to the vast

majority of the home buying market due to the expense of the standard

design fee (10–15 percent of construction costs). Design Corps employs a

more cost-efficient fee structure, which it calls “Direct-to-You” design,

charging 0–3 percent of construction costs. The model was developed

through research funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

To date, Design Corps staff have consulted on the design and

development of affordable housing to seven nonprofit organizations on

over one hundred rental and home ownership units. Staff participate in 

all aspects of the projects, including the successful application for over 

$5 million in project support through eight sources of federal, state, and

private funds. 

Design Corps places a heavy emphasis on the role of good communication in the design process, encouraging staff to meet repeatedly

with actual end user clients to discuss needs and develop solutions that

address them. When designing a home for a single client, the Design

Corps design process is structured around five client meetings. In the first

meeting, Design Corps staff work with the client family to establish an

appropriate budget for the house that they will build, including assessment of the family’s ability to contribute sweat equity to the project.

Using a standard square foot cost, Design Corps uses this budget to

establish the total square footage of the house. The family is then asked

to complete a questionnaire that asks how they expect to use the space in

their new house. Design Corps staff then work with the family to prioritize their needs and develop a basic program for the house that is

appropriate to the established budget. These conversations form the basis

of the design proposal that Design Corps staff present to the client for

discussion and review. The final presentation incorporates changes on the

basis of the client family’s response to the preliminary design. Families are

also given an opportunity to create a wish list of items that can be included in the final design if contractor bids prove lower than budgeted.

Design Corps also designs rental housing for migrant farm workers. In these cases the client is typically a nonprofit organization or local
55

grower who wishes to provide housing in order to attract seasonal workers during the harvest. Design Corps draws on field research among

migrant workers to establish end user needs and then works with the

actual client to provide housing that meets budgetary requirements and

accommodates the programmatic needs identified by Design Corps

research.

Design Corps evaluates its projects exclusively on the basis of

client and end user satisfaction, providing client families with a postoccupancy survey that allows them to respond to the quality of both the

design process and the completed house.

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Design Corps has organized and supervised 33 internships for architecture students from 12 universities over the last 5 years. The organization

Migrant worker housing,

1997–2002 

Manufactured unit for single

migrant workers. The design

expresses the clients’ desire

for mobility.
56

is committed to encouraging, educating, and training design interns, 

students, and professionals in the techniques of providing quality architectural, planning, and design services to underserved individuals at 

below market rates. 

In support of this ambition, Design Corps now offers five yearlong

internships for young professionals who have completed a professional

degree and wish to apply their design skills to meaningful social

challenges. Internships are conceived as opportunities to train young

designers in strategies that are accurate and responsive to community

needs, and the program’s name, Design Corps, expresses its ambition to

create powerful experiences that will inform and inspire interns in future

work with communities around the country.

Design Corps sees education and service as equal missions. Its

educational goals are described in seven values:

• Understanding Community. Understand the community

being served through direct communication with residents 

of the area and documented local sources.

• Understanding Individuals. Understand the individuals

being served. Respect clients as unique people and include

them in the design process, recognizing their expertise in

their own needs, wants, and dreams.

• Quality in Design. Achieve the highest quality and consideration in design while respecting the economic circumstances of

the client.

• Quality in Construction. Achieve quality in building, detailing, and construction through planning and attention.

• Activism. Initiate projects and take steps to complete projects

by assembling teams of community activists to help define

community needs and create appropriate design solutions to

meet them.

• Understanding the Big Picture. Understand all the

influences affecting a project.
57

• Expanding the Profession. Reflect and evaluate the state of

the architecture profession. Expand the profession’s ability to

assist underserved populations.

These values are intended to provide alumni with the skills necessary to identify, organize, design, fund, and build solutions to meet local

needs in their future communities and throughout their future practice.

One of the first Design Corps’ interns recently became director of the

Community Design Center of the City College of New York.

Community Engagement

As a client-driven organization, Design Corps tends to take a less proactive role in the making of community, focusing instead on the provision

of high quality services to clients on an individual basis. At the same time,

the research that Design Corps undertakes in identifying end user needs

in low-income communities represents a strong commitment to identifying community-level needs as a basis for appropriate design process.

Though it has not established permanent relationships with a specific region or community, Design Corps has worked with several

community-based efforts as a consultant, including both university-based

outreach and independent community initiatives. For university-based

efforts led by Auburn University in Perry County, Alabama, Design

Corps received direct federal support for an industrial park planning

effort; worked with Auburn on a streetscape and economic development

effort in Uniontown, Alabama; and developed the design and sought

funding for a technology training and child care center in Marion,

Alabama. Responding to the relative scarcity of accredited architecture

programs across the country, Design Corps has also worked specifically to

establish relationships with communities who do not have access to university resources, as exemplified by their work for the United Christian

Church Assemblies in Taylor, Alabama.
58

Sources of Support

Drawing on the knowledge and experience gained by Bell during his time

at ROI, Design Corps funds its work with an assortment of federal subsidy programs. Design Corps receives $1,500 from the Federal Home

Loan Bank for each of its new affordable housing designs through the

Affordable Housing Program, which supports affordable housing with a

10 percent tax on the profits of savings and loan institutions bailed out by

the federal government in the early 1990s.

Projects also take advantage of federal loan programs such as Rural

Housing Services, which enables families to contribute up to 60 percent

of the purchase price of a house through “sweat equity” by helping to

build the house themselves. Until 1996, RHS required new houses to be

built to standard house plans that were often too expensive for rural

applicants, leaving many families without housing options at all. In 1996,

however, design constraints were lifted, and Design Corps can now work

directly with families to develop houses that are appropriate to their

budgets and needs.

Design Corps interns are paid through the federal Volunteers in

Service to America program.

Future Development

Bell hopes to eventually use the strategies and knowledge that he has

developed in Design Corps to transform national housing policy for

farmers and farm workers, developing a national housing program that

provides tailored design solutions that respond to the financial capacity of

the farming economy and provide for the daily human needs of farm

workers and their families.
59

Detroit Collaborative Design Center

Location University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture, Detroit, MI

Program type University-based community design center

Lead staff Dan Pitera (director)

Total staff 5

Date founded 1995

Annual activity

Budget $300,000

# of projects 5–6

# of students 80 (10 part- and full-time student staff members, 

70 students in courses taught) 

Summary

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center

(DCDC) is a year-round, multidisciplinary, nonprofit center located within the University of

Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. It is dedicated to “searching and (re)searching”

architectural design and neighborhood development through the interaction of students,

professionals, faculty, and community members.

The center works exclusively with nonprofit

community development organizations to promote quality design solutions that respond to

locally defined concerns. It is a teaching center

dedicated to educating future leaders in urban 

revitalization and engages students, recent 

graduates, the urban community, and the professional architect.

Mission

The center defines its focus at the scale of urban

neighborhoods, and it works to develop leaders

in the broad Detroit urban revitalization effort,

both among community members and among

future architects and designers. Its intent is to

teach and train students and the community in

the art of urban architecture, to strengthen links

between professionals and students and recent

graduates, and to foster an alternative method

for the integration of practice and academia.
60
61

History and Leadership

Stephen Vogel introduced the concept of a design center during his first

year as dean at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.

He brought Father Terrence Curry, an architect and full-time faculty

member, to the university to lay the groundwork for the center through a

Neighborhood Design Studio where students had the opportunity to

work with community groups from the Detroit metropolitan area who

were seeking to make a difference in their neighborhoods. Students

worked closely with leaders from the community and local professionals

to assess situations, evaluate opportunities, propose alternatives, and

develop possibilities. The studio explored questions concerning the

process, theory, and practice of working in collaboration with community

and volunteer organizations, with special emphasis on the challenges

posed for providing excellence in design. The Neighborhood Design

Studio planning analysis continued with a series of focus projects identified with community organizations for further development, including

housing, mixed-use, retail, streetscapes, an AIDS hospice, and emergency

shelters. This studio involved into the Detroit Collaborative Design

Center with a full-time professional staff.

In 2000, Father Curry left the center to accept a Loeb Fellowship

at Harvard University, and the DCDC is now directed by Dan Pitera,

who has experience as an installation artist in addition to being a licensed

architect. Pitera came to the Detroit Collaborative Design Center from

San Francisco, where he was president of the Center for Critical

Architecture/The Art and Architecture Exhibition Space (CfCA/2AES), a

venue for the exhibition of experimental architectural investigations.

Under Pitera’s leadership, the Detroit Collaborative Design Center has

diversified the nature of its projects to include experimental installations

that engage local communities in public dialogue about the value of

design in the making of communities. 

Homeboy Industries, 

Los Angeles, 2000

Opening night party
62

Philosophy and Working Methods

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center is conceived as a center for

“searching and (re)searching” architectural design and neighborhood

development within the School of Architecture. It works exclusively with

nonprofit community development organizations to link students, local

design professionals, community residents, and community-based organizations. The center seeks to enhance local leadership in the area of public

design and to develop quality design projects that respond to locally

defined concerns. Projects have included building renovations, adaptive

reuse of existing buildings, new building construction, furniture and

office systems design and fabrication, neighborhood planning, public

design and planning workshops, and graphic design.

In addition to more traditional architectural and planning-related

community design work, the center has also undertaken projects in less

traditional community design areas, such as graphic design and public

installation art. Graphic art projects have included posters to support

local community initiatives, and installation art projects have focused on

derelict buildings as a site for cultural expression as a means to catalyze

public vision for change and revitalization. The center has also pursued

unique opportunities to exhibit its work, having recently participated in

ArchiLab, a prestigious design exhibition in France, and submitted its

installation work for consideration for the annual P/A Awards organized

by Architecture Magazine.

The center typically undertakes five to six construction and planning projects a year, charging slightly less than market rate for its

services. To complete the actual construction phases of most projects, the

center teams up with an appropriate local architecture firm. This process,

as well as the active participation of at least one AIA member on the center’s board of advisors, has mitigated any concerns from the professional

community about competition for local clients. The center has the reputation of generating work for local architects.
63

Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, 2000

Homeboy Industries is an economic

development program that seeks to

create businesses to employ ganginvolved youth who wish to redirect their

lives. It was started in 1992 as the

economic development branch of Jobs

for a Future, an employment referral

program that serves at-risk, ganginvolved youth from all over Los Angeles

County. Homeboy Industries runs a

variety of businesses that employ representatives from different gangs to work

side by side with their enemies to manufacture products and provide services.

Through such employment, young men

and women receive on-the-job training

and preparation for future employment.

Homeboy Industries includes Homeboy

Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy

Merchandising, Homeboy Landscaping,

and Homeboy Graffiti Removal.

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center

provided design and construction services to Homeboy Industries for the

renovation of a 5,000 sq. ft. printing

facility into Homeboy’s main offices and

training facilities. Total construction

cost for the project was $300,000, or

$75.00 per square foot. The facility is

shown at 95 percent completion.

1

Main lobby and entry,

with stretched fabric

ceiling

2

Exterior view

3

Custom steel storage

wall under construction

4

Opening night party

5

Office space during

construction

Ceiling detail on p. 59

(left)

1 2

3 4 5
64

Curriculum/Pedagogy 

The Dean of the College of Architecture at Detroit Mercy is strongly

committed to ethical, reflective practice through academic education, and

the Catholic underpinnings of the entire university reinforce the center’s

active community engagement and service. The DCDC has therefore

received strong administrative and financial support from the University.

Approximately 80–100 students per year are influenced directly by

the work of the center or the courses taught by DCDC. Center staff offer

at least one studio per semester, in addition to more diverse elective

courses that utilize community-based projects to teach core skills like

CAD and post-occupancy evaluation. Participating students have

expressed strong support for the role that the center plays in their education, and at least one former student staff member has gone on to start a

design center of her own in another community.

One unique aspect of the Design Center is a program of two-year

fellowships offered through the university and the DCDC to graduates 

of accredited architecture programs with one to five years of professional

experience. Community Design Fellowship responsibilities include 

project design and follow-through, teaching within the architecture 

curriculum (one class/year), project management, computer design 

and modeling, project programming, feasibility reports, and community

outreach.

Community Engagement

The Design Center has served 51 community-based organizations.

Although its work has occasionally been in communities outside of

Detroit (including projects in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York),

it has undertaken remote projects primarily to broaden its experience and

perspective in service to neighborhoods in Detroit. The center receives

several calls per week from potential local clients and can select the most

promising opportunities without needing to market its services. 
65

Fire-Break, Detroit, 2000–

Burned or vacant houses are a common

sight in Detroit, and their presence is a

physical and psychological drain on the

well-being of the city and its inhabitants. The Fire-Break project was

organized by the DCDC to fabricate with

community artists and residents a

series of installations in and around the

burned houses of the east side of

Detroit. The project aims to transform

this particular and distinct blight on the

urban landscape into an asset through

creative intervention and occupation.

The first two houses, Hay House and

Sound House, were completed in June

2001, and the project was scheduled to

continue through fall 2002 with Light

House, Skinned House, House Coat,

Stitched House, and Green House.

1

Hay House

A burned house was

covered with bundles of

hay referencing the urban

farming occurring on the

east side of Detroit. Local

community members

participated in the

installation. 

Wall detail on p. 59 (right)

2

Sound House

The house windows were

covered with fabric, and

musicians played inside.

Visitors were able to

listen to the house, but

not to see the musicians.

1

2
66
67

Criteria for project selection emphasize opportunities to achieve

high levels of design quality over other considerations, such as project

scale or budget. The center has a strong commitment to grassroots project development and prefers smaller projects that emerge from

community needs to larger projects that may lack strong levels of community engagement. Center staff suggest that design quality can be

maintained most effectively in projects that include active engagement by

the community, since client activism tends to translate into more effective

final designs.

The preference for grassroots projects has not precluded the

opportunity to work on large-scale projects, and in these cases, too, client

activism is seen as a strong benefit in the design process. Current engagements include a $20 million community center in the university area and

a $4–5 million gymnasium that celebrates people with disabilities at a

Quaker Friends School near Detroit. The center hopes that the gymnasium design will serve as a model for similar projects at Quaker schools

across the country.

Sources of Support

The Design Center’s $300,000 annual budget comes from a mix of university funding, project revenue, and increasingly, foundation support,

including a generous recent grant from the General Motors Foundation.

There are currently five full-time staff members, including a director and

an associate director. The associate director’s role is being expanded to

emphasize necessary fundraising from private foundations. One student

works full-time and two or three students work part-time at the center

during each semester of the school year (including summer); similar 

numbers of faculty volunteer their time on projects related to their own

interests and research. 

Fire-Break, Detroit, 2000–

Hay House
68

Future Development

The center continues to advocate for stronger connections between local

design centers, community-based organizations, and artists and architects

who could provide valuable services to these organizations, and its ambitions for the future remain in this area. Continued publicity for and

recognition of its work at the national and international level are seen by

the DCDC as critical to continued local success, and the center expects to

continue to explore options for the broader dissemination of its most successful projects.
69

Howard S. Wright Design/Build Studio

Location University of Washington School of Architecture, Seattle, WA

Program type Design/Build Studio

Lead staff Steve Badanes (director)

Total staff 2 

Date founded 1994 (intermittent work since 1988)

Annual activity

Budget $40,000

# of projects 2

# of students 10–15

Summary

The Howard S. Wright Design/Build Studio is

one of several quarter-long design/build studios

at the University of Washington Department of

Architecture that are available to professional

degree candidates as elective courses. The studio

annually completes two design/build projects for

local communities in the greater Seattle region,

typically through partnership with a local nonprofit organization that has requested design/

build services. Construction funding is usually

provided by Seattle Department of

Neighborhoods grants and the local business

community.

Mission

Although the studio has not published a separate

mission statement, course materials indicate a

commitment to the premise that all architects’

primary client is the society at large and that

community outreach is a key component of education. Course materials identify collaborative,

consensus-building design experiences and the

development of communication skills as central

goals, along with striving to integrate technology into the design studio and to redirect values

toward community service and commitment.
70

History and Leadership

The University of Washington Design/Build Studio began in 1988 during

a visiting professorship by Steve Badanes in the university’s Department

of Architecture and became a permanent part of the curriculum in 1994.

Professor Badanes is a nationally recognized figure in the design/build

movement through his private design/build practice, Jersey Devil

Design/Build, which he founded in the late 1960s. Jersey Devil pioneered

a new form of portable design/build architectural practice, undertaking

one project at a time and setting up mobile Airstream trailer studios onsite for the duration of design and construction. Badanes has taught and

lectured at universities around the country and abroad, and he is a regular

faculty member at Yestermorrow Design-Build School, an undergraduate

summer design/build institute in Vermont. 

Damon Smith, who assists Professor Badanes with instruction and

coordination of the studio, is an alumnus of the University of Washington

Design/Build Studio and a founding partner of SHED (see p. 80). 

Philosophy and Working Methods

The Howard S. Wright Design/Build Studio emphasizes effective student

cooperation as its primary goal, and Badanes points to graduates’ comfort

and skill working in collaborative teams as a significant area of the studio’s

success. These values are communicated in practice through a standardized schedule Badanes has developed and refined over the history of the

program. Site selection and program development are completed by

Badanes before the studio commences, and the first studio meeting typically involves a presentation by representatives of the community for

whom the studio will be completing design and construction work. Design

work is done during studio time in rotating groups, using a consensus

method with a facilitator and a written “group memory” to identify shared

values and design ideas. These points of commonality are synthesized into

a single design, which is developed into a presentation for the community. 

Highland Gardens,

Issaquah, Washington,

1998

Pavilion roof detail

This details is from one of

several pavilions designed

and built for the

community garden at this

award-winning public

housing project. The

housing was developed by

the St. Andrews Housing

Group and the Interim

Community Development

Agency in Seattle.
71
72

Bradner Gardens Park Improvements, 

Seattle, 1999–2000

Bradner Gardens Park holds particular

significance in the history of community

action in Seattle. Long neglected by the

city and its parks department, the park

was rescued in the early 1990s by a

dedicated group of local residents, who

reconfigured it as a public community

garden. In the late 1990s, as real estate

values improved, the city attempted to

replace the park with a market-rate

housing development, and the ensuing

controversy galvanized the local community to establish the park as open

space in perpetuity.

The Design/Build Studio participated 

in this process by offering its labor 

as an in-kind contribution to enable 

the community to obtain a matching

grant from the city’s Department of

Neighborhoods for park improvements.

Among the projects completed over 

two years were a wood and concrete

footbridge, three decorative steel

perimeter gates, and a pavilion canopy

for the central meeting area.

Central meeting pavilion
73

The studio focuses on projects that can be completed by students

during the 11 weeks available in an academic quarter. As a result, the

scale of the projects completed by the studio tends to be small—park

pavilions, playground furniture, and small building additions—but the

cooperation required to complete construction within a limited time

frame has produced impressive results. In all projects, the client organization provides a budget for materials, and students are responsible for site

analysis and planning, project design, production of working drawings,

materials procurement, fabrication, and scheduling.

Design quality in the studio is evaluated primarily in terms of

appropriateness to the site, recognition of contextual environmental factors, integration of quality craftsmanship, and attention to construction

detail. A premium is also placed on professional service to the project’s

community client. “Success means that we finish the project on time and

under budget,” Badanes says, “and that the quality of the design and

craftsmanship is high.” The criteria of evaluation therefore rest jointly on

the design quality of the finished product itself and on the level of service

the product provides to the community. 

Curriculum/Pedagogy

The Howard S. Wright Design/Build Studio is one of four vertical studios open to both undergraduate and graduate students at the College of

Architecture and Urban Design as “wild-card” studios, meaning that they

do not fulfill specific curricular requirements. Other “wild-card” studios

include foreign study, Design/Build Mexico (assisted by Badanes), and a

furniture studio. Based on the distribution requirements of the college,

undergraduate students are allowed one “wild-card” studio during their

five-year degree, and graduate students are allowed two “wild-card” 

studios.

The design/build studio experience can have a profound impact 

on students’ other coursework and on their long-term careers. In the

short term, this can mean that students continue to pursue design/build
74

Danny Woo International District Community Garden, 

Seattle, 1989–2001

The Danny Woo International District

Community Garden is a nationally

recognized community garden led by the

Interim Community Development

Association, a nonprofit organization

dedicated to the stabilization and

revitalization of Seattle’s International

District neighborhood without

displacement and gentrification. The

garden’s individual terraced plots, which

number over 100, are tended by elderly

residents of the International District, 

most of whom live in the apartment

buildings and single-room occupancy

hotels adjacent to the site. 

Through the Design/Build Studio,

University of Washington students 

have contributed to the ongoing design

and development of the garden by

constructing varied features. A tool

shed, entry gateway, kiosks, washing

areas, seating, lighting, a pig roasting

pit, and a barbecue area were designed

and built between 1989 and 1991.

After it became clear that a number of

the elderly users of the garden were

experiencing difficulty in navigating its

stairs and paths, the students returned

in 1996 to design and build an accessible gardening area at the upper end of

the garden, and alumni of the program

are currently involved in a planning

study for the garden’s impending

expansion.

1

2 3
75

1

Aerial view, detail on p. 69

(left)

2

Overall plan

3

Planting beds with wash

stations

4

Water kiosk

5

Water kiosk detail

6

Pig roasting pit under

construction

7

Lower stair with studentdesigned lighting

8

Terrace plots

9

Pig roasting pit

4 5

6 7

8 9
76

Experimental Education Unit, 

University of Washington, 1995, 1997

The EEU is a comprehensive early

childhood learning center that provides

inclusive integrated educational services for children with and without

disabilities. Since 1969, the program

has been housed in its own building,

which includes a number of outdoor

courtyards designed as play spaces for

the children. In 1995, the Design/Build

Studio enhanced the main courtyard

with a three-dimensional hanging

labyrinth suspended from the courtyard’s partial roof. In 1997, the studio

customized a second courtyard with a

contoured rubber terrain and tension

membrane roof.

Hanging playground, detail

of swing on p. 69 (right)
77

projects in their other academic studio work. Each year, several of the

students who have completed design/build studios at the university opt to

complete their thesis projects as design/build projects, often building on

an earlier project completed by the studio. One student, for example,

designed a lighting system for the Danny Woo International District

Community Garden profiled in these pages, and the first project completed by the young firm SHED (see p. 80) started as a design thesis project. 

Badanes’s success in encouraging students toward alternative practice is further borne out by the number of alumni who go on to pursue

careers in community design and activism. In Badanes’s words, “You can’t

evaluate the full success of these programs until years later. I’m always

getting a letter or phone call from a former student who has just completed a small but meaningful community project somewhere, saying ‘I never

could have thought we could do it if it hadn’t been for your class.’”

Badanes repeatedly emphasizes the value of the program for building a

strong community of like-minded local professionals who are technically

able and temperamentally inclined to dedicate themselves to positive civic

engagement.

Community Engagement

The Design/Build Studio works only with community nonprofit groups

and typically maintains an ongoing relationship with those groups over a

number of years. The strength of these community relationships is

enhanced by the program’s emphasis on public projects and installations,

which not only publicize the role of the Design/Build Studio in the university’s commitment to community service but also maximize direct

public access to the benefits of the studio’s work. Demand for the studio’s

work outstrips its ability to provide service, and the studio is forced to

decline many of the projects it is asked to consider.

The program also has an impact on the community through the

continuing engagement of its alumni in community design activities.

Since 1988, over 200 students have participated in the Design/Build
78

Studio, and many of them have been inspired to continue similar 

community-based work in their professional lives. Of these, some have

moved into careers in community development, becoming in at least one

case future clients for the studio. Others have gone on to develop their

own design/build practices, often using their experiences at the University

of Washington as a springboard for relationships with future clients. 

Nonprofits are not charged a fee for design and construction services, but they are required to obtain funding for materials and property.

Occasionally those goods are donated, but the studio faculty also helps

groups write grants for funding. Community labor or matching funds are

often required to meet budgetary requirements. 

Sources of Support

The program is funded through an endowed chair, the Howard S. Wright

Chair, which annually provides $65,000 for the support of communitybased design. The endowment was created by a donation from the

Howard S. Wright Construction Company, a Seattle-based firm with

strong ties to the university and a history of philanthropic activity. The

School of Architecture and the university administration publicly

acknowledge the value of the studio’s work in the context of the university’s broad commitment to community service.

Mexico Design/Build

Studio

The Howard S. Wright

Endowed Chair also

provides support for an

international design/build

program run by Professor

Sergio Palleroni in

cooperation with Badanes.

The studio has completed

numerous projects in

Mexico, including this

school (left) and clinic

(right).
79
80

SHED, Seattle, 1998–

SHED is a Seattle-based design/build

firm founded in 1998 by Scot Carr,

Prentis Hale, Thomas Schaer, and

Damon Smith, four alumni of the

University of Washington College of

Architecture and Urban Design. Although

the careers of many alumni have been

deeply influenced by their experiences in

the Design/Build Studio, SHED is a particularly useful example. The continuing

work of these designers demonstrates

the potential for the long-term impact of

the studio on the design quality of alumni

work and by extension on the built environment of their communities.

The firm’s first design/build project, the

Pike Place Market Heritage Museum in

downtown Seattle, was undertaken by

two of the founding partners as their

final thesis project in the Department of

Architecture, and the strong connection

between the Design/Build Studio and the

firm is direct, literal, and ongoing. The

partners now participate as design

instructors at the school and in the studio, and the firm’s most recent public

project—the adaptive reuse of an existing

park building that includes a customdesigned solar panel roof system—has

grown directly out of connections established through the studio.
81

p. 80:

SHED Office/Studio,

Seattle

SHED’s four partners rent

an office in a converted

industrial building that

houses a number of other

artists and designers, with

whom they share a

common workshop.

p. 81:

Pike Place Market

Heritage Museum, Seattle,

1997–1999

1 / 2

Skylight

3

Custom light fixture

4

Entry detail

5

Entry

6

Entry after hours

7

Main gallery with shutter

doors open

1 2

3 4

5 6

7
82

In response to the success of the Design/Build Studio, the

Department of Landscape Architecture initiated its own landscapeoriented design/build studio, which is required for all landscape architecture students. A portion ($10,000) of the Howard S. Wright endowment

income has been allocated to this landscape studio, and the construction

management and real estate management departments receive $10,000

and $5,000, respectively, from the endowment for community-based 

curricular work. The remaining $40,000 of the endowment income is

allocated to the Design/Build Studio; approximately $32,000 goes toward

salaries, and $8,000 covers basic tools, travel, and occasionally materials. 

Staff and students typically use their own vehicles and tools to

complete projects.

Future Development

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Badanes’s approach is its

demonstrated portability. In addition to the studio that he teaches at the

University of Washington, he has also guest-taught design/build studios

at numerous other universities in the United States and abroad, including

in Africa, Europe, and Latin America. He stresses that the skills required

to teach design/build studios are pedagogically unique, but not locally

specific, and can therefore be translated readily to different geographical

and cultural contexts. This is an area of potential future growth and

development for the program.
83

The Rural Studio

Location Auburn University, Auburn, AL (studio located in Newbern, AL)

Program type Design/Build Studio

Lead staff D. K. Ruth (director)

Total staff 8

Date founded 1992

Annual activity

Budget $400,000–450,000

# of projects 4–7

# of students 30–45

Summary

The Rural Studio is an outreach program at

Auburn University that provides design/build

educational opportunities to students in the

Auburn University School of Architecture. The

studio, which is based in Newbern, Alabama,

approximately 200 miles from Auburn, offers

opportunities for students to complete

design/build projects as studio coursework and

thesis projects in coordination with local communities. Projects and courses are intended for

the educational benefit of Auburn University

students, and the resulting physical end product

becomes a lasting contribution to the communities in Hale County and rural Alabama.

Mission

The mission of the Rural Studio emphasizes

both pedagogical and community service objectives. Pedagogically, the Rural Studio seeks to

allow students to put their educational values to

work as citizens of a community. In engaging

the local community, the Rural Studio seeks

solutions to the needs of the community within

the community’s own context, rather than from

outside it, applying theoretical approaches in

real projects for real people.
84

History and Leadership

The Rural Studio was initially conceived by Professors Samuel Mockbee

and Dennis K. Ruth as a method of improving the living conditions in

rural Alabama and including hands-on experience as part of architectural

pedagogy. Together, Mockbee and Ruth sought funding to begin the program, and a major grant from the Alabama Power Foundation in 1993

helped launch it. 

Mockbee and Ruth continued to codirect the program until 

Mockbee’s death in late 2001, a tragic loss for the profession as a whole

and a particular blow to the Rural Studio, since Mockbee has played a

pivotal role in its unique character and in the national recognition of its

achievements. As an architect who had already established a strong design

reputation through private practice, he was well known by other architects, and his leadership of the Rural Studio has been an important factor

in the current heightened visibility of university-community design partnerships. His leadership of the Rural Studio has attracted both awards and

media attention, and this exposure has contributed to the program’s ability

to publicize its activities and raise funds to support ongoing projects.

p. 83 (right) and p. 84:

Community Center,

Mason’s Bend, Alabama,

2000

On a central site in

Mason’s Bend, thesis

students built a

community center that

includes a transportation

stop for county-funded

mobile projects such as a

bookmobile and a

traveling health center, an

outdoor area for

community gatherings,

and a small chapel for the

local prayer group. The

glass wall of the chapel is

built from recycled

automobile windshields.

p. 83 (right):

Glass exterior wall, detail

Below:

Entry and chapel
85

Philosophy and Working Methods

The practice of design for the Rural Studio represents first and foremost

an opportunity to become actively involved in the life of its community.

Faculty members advocate the development of an architectural theory

based on real community issues—a theory of community-based architectural production that understands the community as a laboratory for

innovation. Students live in the community, become members of the

community, and design and building projects from within the community.

The Rural Studio is founded on the basis of two primary educational goals: to offer students an opportunity to make contact with real

clients and communities, outside the comfortable boundaries of the

school; and to inspire in students a sense of civic responsibility. In practice, these goals are realized in the experience of completing real projects

for real communities. Students who complete the studio expand their

understanding of design by actually building their own designs.

Simultaneously, by taking students out of the university environment and

placing them in a challenged region such as Hale County, the studio

encourages development of students’ social conscience.

Rural Studio

organizational structure

through 2001
86

For operational efficiency, the Rural Studio is divided into two

separate offices: the studio itself, located in Newbern, Alabama, three

hours drive from Auburn, and an administrative office, which is located

on the university campus in the School of Architecture. This arrangement

allows the studio and its participants to operate in complete physical isolation from the school, an important factor in encouraging students to

become active members of the community. At the same time, the administrative office provides continuous coordination with university curricula

and operations, while also acting as a liaison with outside organizations

and funders.

The Rural Studio has established an impressive record for completing projects that attain the highest quality of design excellence under

extremely challenging financial constraints, and this success can be attributed to four factors.

• Staff talent. The program was established by individuals with

a committed ethic of high quality design, and this ethic has

been maintained as staff and faculty numbers have grown.

• Faith in student creativity. Students at the Rural Studio are

given the latitude to explore their own ideas creatively, and

faculty repeatedly communicate their firm confidence in students’ ability to be creative and achieve design excellence.

• Commitment to continuity. Design quality is maintained, in

part, by the very process of continuing to build. Each new

building sets the bar of design achievement higher for subsequent projects. 

• Community recognition. Initial suspicion of the “strange”

appearance of Rural Studio projects has given way to popular

demand for and pride in their unique character and high

design standards.

Over time, these factors continually enhance the quality of the Rural

Studio’s work by refining a process that successfully embeds the value of

high quality design and construction in the ongoing relationship between

the studio and its community. 

Corrugated Cardboard

Pod, Newbern, Alabama,

1998–99

Students experimented

with bales of waste waximpregnated corrugated

clippings in construction

applications. The Pod is

one of several designed

and built by students as

housing for participants in

the Rural Studio.

Harris House, Sawyerville,

Alabama, 1996–97

This house was designed

and built by students for a

local family through

coordination with the Hale

County Department of

Human Resources. 

Detail on p. 83 (left) 
87
88
89

Curriculum/Pedagogy

The Rural Studio offers two opportunities for students to participate in

the program, both of which are voluntary: a second-year studio and a 

thesis studio. Students are selected for both opportunities through an

application process that emphasizes the relevance of the experience for

students’ overall curricular objectives. 

The second-year studio is an annual sequence of two semesterlong studios for second-year students. Each annual sequence completes

the design and construction of a single-family house in Hale County, with

the fall semester emphasizing schematic design and design development,

and the spring semester emphasizing construction documents and construction. Construction is often completed over the summer.

The thesis studio makes it possible for students to complete their

fifth-year thesis project as a design/build project through the program.

Thesis students typically work in teams of three or four, completing the

entire process of design and construction in fulfillment of their thesis

requirements.

The Rural Studio has also recently added a third studio, called the

Outreach Studio, which is conducted during the summer recess with

funding from the Jessie Ball Dupont Fund. The Outreach Studio brings

together students from a range of academic and creative disciplines to

work together on community-based projects in Hale County. Faculty are

currently exploring the possibility of expanding the Outreach Studio into

a one-year program for advanced visiting students.

One of the most innovative pedagogical aspects of the Rural

Studio approach is the willingness to share projects across multiple studios, as demonstrated in the second-year studio. This allows Rural Studio

projects to attain a scale and complexity otherwise impractical for the

timeframe of a single academic semester. Furthermore, the Rural Studio

approach establishes a precedent for complementary studio sequences

that extends to other areas of the curriculum. 

Newbern Amphitheater,

Newbern, Alabama,

2000–02

The Newbern

Amphitheater consists of

an open-air theater for

lectures, films, and

gatherings of the Rural

Studio and Outreach

Studio. It is also used by

the residents of Hale

County as a location for

secondary community

education and community

events. The project is part

of the Auburn University

Outreach Studio, a crossdisciplinary program that

brings students from

across the nation to study

and plan programs for a

rural community.

Students working on

construction of the

amphitheater canopy

Opening night
90

For the Akron Boys and Girls Club, three

Rural Studio thesis students made use

of the brick shell of an existing 100-

year-old building, which once served

Akron and surrounding communities 

as a public market, to create a new

facility that provides a meeting place 

for youth groups in the town. Akron has

a total population of 528, and the

building is located on one of the town’s

busiest corners, with the fire station and

city hall directly across the street. With

the local K–6 elementary school just

blocks away and residential areas on all

sides, the Boys and Girls Club is an

ideal location for community and youth

to meet. 

The town uses the facility for community

meetings and events, and the Hale

Empowerment and Revitalization

Organization (H.E.R.O), with which the

Rural Studio frequently collaborates on

its public and residential projects, offers

educational programming at the club.

Akron Boys and Girls Club, Akron, Alabama, 2000–01

1

2
91

1

Rear elevation

2

End view, showing new

stair addition

3

Front elevation

4

Children’s art workshop

conducted at the Boys and

Girls Club by H.E.R.O.

3

4
92

At a broad social and political level, the Rural Studio also offers

Auburn University students a basic education in the realities of rural

poverty. As architects, alumni will ultimately bear a professional responsibility to uphold the public interest in the work that they do, and their

early personal experience of the strategies and benefits of direct community service and design for the common good represent a direct

contribution to their professional educations.

Community Engagement

Though an active part of the Auburn University School of Architecture

curriculum, the Rural Studio aims to be just as much a part of the local

community with which it collaborates on projects. As faculty insist, the

design and construction services provided by the studio are not imported

to the community from afar but emerge from within the community

itself. Faculty and students measure the success of their community outreach by the degree to which they are considered active participating

members of the communities in which they work. 

The studio is located in remote Hale County, Alabama, the center

of what is called, due to its rich agricultural soil, the “Black Belt” region

of west Alabama. According to the Alabama Department of Economic

and Community Affairs (ADECA) 1997 Alabama County Data Book,

roughly one-third of the region’s residents live below the poverty level,

with a per capita income of $12,292—only 59 percent of the median 

U.S. per capita income. The unemployment rate (13 percent), is more

than double the average for the state of Alabama. Over 60 percent of the

population is nonwhite.

In this context, the Rural Studio initiates its projects through carefully established partnerships with local nonprofit organizations and state

assistance agencies, in order to ensure that projects meet the needs of the

local community. Rural Studio staff emphasize that they do not define

project parameters but rather allow the community and its advocates to

determine needs and identify potential sites and projects.
93

Three fifth-year Rural Studio

architecture students planned,

designed, and constructed the

rejuvenation of Newbern’s community

baseball field, located on a small piece

of farmland that has been the site of

regional games for the last 100 years.

Students worked closely with the local

community in the effort to upgrade and

redesign the field to reflect the town’s

deep love of baseball. In 2001, Newbern

Baseball Club had its best year ever,

with an average attendance of 500+ per

game, and the Rural Studio has been

asked to construct a Little League Field

in 2002–03 as a direct result of the

project.

Newbern Baseball Club Renovation and 

Rejuvenation Project, Newbern, Alabama, 2001
94

In the case of the houses designed and built by the second-year

students, referred to by the staff as “charity” houses, the Rural Studio has

forged a partnership with the Department of Human Resources (DOHR)

in Hale County, which provides the majority of state-sponsored health

and human services in the county. DOHR case workers annually compile

a list of three or four families who are in need of housing or require

improvements to their existing housing and who are interested in participating in the program. Rural Studio students then interview each of the

families as prospective clients and select the family with whom they feel

most comfortable working. The selected family is understood by students

and faculty alike as the client for the project, and family members remain

involved throughout the design and construction of the new house. The

total cost of these projects is typically $20–25,000, most of which is allocated to “bricks and mortar” materials costs, with a small fraction

occasionally used for technical consultants and tools.

The selection process for thesis projects is more diverse, and projects completed by thesis students have been initiated through an array of

avenues, including personal student or faculty contact with client organizations, unsolicited requests from prospective client organizations, and

preexisting relationships developed through prior Rural Studio projects.

Budgets for these projects vary based on scale and can offer savings to

clients of up to 85 percent on design and construction costs.

Individual funding for each Rural Studio project depends on the

financial position of its client. Houses completed through DOHR receive

partial materials funding through that agency, with supplemental funding

from grants and donations; some “charity” houses are funded entirely by

outside sources solicited by the Rural Studio. For other projects, particularly those in the thesis studio, materials and land acquisition are financed

by the individual client, with students providing in-kind design and construction services.
95

Sources of Support

The current annual budget for all Rural Studio programs is approximately $450,000, split evenly between project-related expenses and

overhead/salary expenses. Of the total budget, 20 percent is covered by

the Auburn University General Fund, and the Auburn University

Outreach Provost provides an additional 10 percent. The remaining 70

percent is provided by external grants.

In spite of a strong record of private foundation support, the relatively even balance between operating expenses and project costs

continues to prove a difficult challenge for the Rural Studio as it seeks

funding from donors. Although foundations and other funders have been

extremely supportive of the work of the studio, their guidelines often

requite dedicated support for specific projects, primarily for the legibility

of impact such project support allows. For the Rural Studio, half of whose

budget is consumed by operating expenses, this preference for projectbased support has been a significant barrier to the maintenance and

expansion of existing programs. 

University financial support for the Rural Studio is complemented

by an institutional atmosphere that is extremely supportive of outreach

activities. As a land grant university, Auburn University has a longstanding tradition of integrating research, teaching, and outreach in 

the service of neighboring communities. The university has been at the

forefront of national attempts to integrate faculty outreach activities 

into tenure and promotion considerations, and a recent report commissioned by the associate provost for outreach provides a clear framework

for assessment of faculty participation in outreach scholarship.
96

Future Development

Before his death, Mockbee expressed strong interest in replicating the

work of the Rural Studio in other contexts nationally and internationally.

So far, these ambitions have been realized only through the “inreach”

component of the Outreach Studio, which brings students from diverse

backgrounds to Hale County for work with the local community.

Arguably, the Rural Studio’s model of deeply engaged community practice suggests that any replication should emerge from partnerships

between established practitioners and their local communities.
97

Studio 804

Location University of Kansas Department of Architecture, Lawrence, KS

Program type Design/Build Studio (semi-independent)

Lead staff Dan Rockhill (director)

Total staff 1

Date founded 1995

Annual activity

Budget $80,000

# of projects 1

# of students 12–16

Summary

Studio 804, Inc. is a university-based

design/build studio and independent nonprofit

organization through which final-year master of

architecture students at the University of Kansas

collaborate with Tenants to Homeowners, a

local organization dedicated to providing affordable housing to low- and moderate-income

residents. Students annually design and build

one single-family house, and the house is sold to

a qualifying resident in cooperation with local

lending agencies.

Mission

The mission of Studio 804 is to design and build

innovative architecture that serves to educate

both the student and the community. Each project is conceived with two parallel goals: to allow

students to experience all aspects of the architectural profession, from schematic design to

construction, and to allow the community to

witness experimental, nontraditional design and

materials implemented in residential housing.
98

1603 Random Road House,

Lawrence, Kansas, 2001

1

Front elevation, detail on

p. 97 (left)

2

Illuminated utilities core

3

Entry detail

4

Rear entry 

5

Cantilevered rear porch

1

2 3

4 5
99

History and Leadership

Studio 804 completed its first design/build project, a roof for the local

Barber School, in 1995, and subsequent early projects included an artist’s

studio and a permanent weatherproof canopy over a courtyard at the

School of Architecture. Since 1998, through the aspirations of students in

the studio and under the leadership of Professor Dan Rockhill, the studio

has expanded the scale and ambition of its projects to the current focus

on affordable single-family houses.

Rockhill is an architect with a well-known design practice whose

work has been recognized at the national level, including prestigious

awards and project profiles in the national design press. His practice

includes both historic preservation projects and highly experimental new

construction, much of which incorporates custom components that he

and his staff fabricate in their workshop for installation in their projects.

He therefore brings to the leadership of Studio 804 a unique blend of

contextual sensitivity, design talent, and hands-on construction expertise,

and it is evident from the comments of students and other faculty that 

the strength of his leadership is one of the most significant factors in the 

program’s ongoing success.

Philosophy and Working Methods

Studio 804 is an independent nonprofit organization with its own board

of directors, budget, and commercial liability insurance. Each year, the

studio undertakes the design and construction of a 1,300 square foot

house that is fully accessible in accordance with ADA (Americans with

Disabilities Act) standards. 

Design and construction of Studio 804 houses are coordinated

through Tenants to Homeowners, which acts as the client for each project. Tenants to Homeowners (TtH) is a nonprofit community housing

development organization that provides services to first-time homebuyers
100

in Lawrence. Its mission is to facilitate the sale of affordable renovated,

rehabilitated, and new housing to low- and moderate-income residents

who do not qualify for traditional home loans and to facilitate the

empowerment of tenants to become homeowners through education,

consultation, home improvement, and creative financing. In cooperation

with five local lending institutions, Tenants to Homeowners sponsors the

Homeowners Out Of Tenants program (HOOT), which helps low-tomoderate income residents to become homeowners within the city.

Houses completed by Studio 804 are part of this program. Since 1998,

when the partnership with Tenants to Homeowners was established,

Studio 804 has refined its mission to focus on progressive architectural

design practices and sustainable building delivery for affordable housing

programs.

Studio 804 projects typically begin with an intensive two-week

design charette; after that, construction begins immediately on a site

already identified in consultation with Tenants to Homeowners.

Throughout the design and construction process, particular emphasis is

given to the custom use of new and innovative materials in creative ways

to reduce costs while enhancing overall design quality. Projects also make

use of recycled and salvaged material when possible. 

Studio 804 gives particular attention to documentation and publication of completed projects as part of its broad educational mission.

After the completion of each house, students photograph the project

prior to occupation and design a publication to describe and document

the project. Costs of printing are covered by project profits, and the finished documents represent an important record of the design process and

an exemplary approach to the dissemination of innovative work.

Information is also posted on a web site to further publicize the studio

and its work.

Completed projects have received numerous awards in national

competitions, including Archeworks’ David Award for Excellence in

Design for People with Disabilities, the International Design Resource

Awards, the Residential Architects Affordable Housing Competition, and

the ACSA American Institute of Steel Construction Competition.

1144 Pennsylvania Avenue

House, Lawrence, Kansas,

1999

1

Passive solar

polycarbonateglazed stair core

2

School program

Local schoolchildren

participated in a

conversation about 

Studio 804’s design/build

projects including this

house. 

3

Side elevation during

construction

4

The mayor of Lawrence

and family on back porch

during open house
101

1 2

3

4
102

Community Engagement

Ownership of houses built by Studio 804 is transferred to Tenants to

Homeowners upon completion, and TtH then screens potential residents

on the basis of income qualifications and facilitates the transfer of the

project to a low-to-moderate-income family. The family is not usually

identified until after the project is completed, but demand for Studio 

804 houses is consistently high, and final ownership must often be determined by a lottery among an number of qualified applicants. Over the

past eight years, Studio 804 has worked in at least three different local

neighborhoods.

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Studio 804 is the final design studio within the master of architecture

program at the University of Kansas. The three-and-a-half-year program

is designed for students who already have an undergraduate degree in a

field other than architecture. During the final semester in Studio 804,

students are given the opportunity to synthesize the previous three years

of design education in a real building. Students get hands-on building

experience while balancing the demands of the program with the needs of

the historic neighborhoods where houses are built. The studio aims to

simultaneously educate students in all aspects of the architectural process

and the community in the value of using experimental and nontraditional

design techniques and materials in residential housing.

Rockhill’s design/build studio is offered in the spring semester and

is preceded by a prerequisite course taught in the fall by Professor Kent

Spreckelmeyer. Although the courses are taught separately, the fall course

focuses on the codes, zoning, site, and environmental issues that will ultimately inform the design/build project in the spring semester. Students

therefore enter Studio 804 technically prepared to realize a safe and innovative building in a 15-week semester.

Students are given responsibility for all aspects of the project,
103

including budget management, contractor relationships, client contact,

and community presentations. Rockhill acknowledges the challenges associated with structuring a disciplined process that allows students to be

self-taught while still guaranteeing a high quality final product, but he

emphasizes that it is precisely the freedom offered to students that ultimately results in the success of completed projects. 

Evaluation of project success is based on whether houses are 

finished on time and come in under budget and with no injuries.

Sources of Support

Studio 804 contracts with Tenants to Homeowners to build each house

with a total construction budget of between $70,000 and $80,000. The

students’ labor is free, and Rockhill’s salary is covered by the university

separately, so the majority of the budget is dedicated to materials, tools,

and construction costs, including construction subcontractors when necessary. A third or more of the total budget typically comes from materials

and services donated by local businesses and major building product manufacturers. Without these leveraged gifts, the projects would not be

financially possible.

The house completed in 1998 provides a typical example of a

Studio 804 project budget. The studio budgeted the cost of the house at

$62,000 to cover the costs of materials, contracts, and tools required for

construction. Actual material costs were $54,800 ($41.00/sf) and tools and

other costs totaled $6,400, for a total cost of $61,200, just under the initial budget. The house sold for almost $75,000 after Community

Development Block Grant (CDBG) contributions, netting the studio a

profit of $14,000, which was deposited in a fund for future projects.

The university has been consistently supportive of Studio 804, and

the dean of the School of Architecture has repeatedly praised the dedication of the students and faculty involved in the project. The completion

of the Studio 804 house has become an important part of the culture of

the school, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony is integrated with the
104 1
105

216 Alabama Avenue House, Lawrence, Kansas, 2000

For this house, Studio 804 took on the

challenge of integrating unique architectural forms and the requirements of

universal design guidelines with the

usual budgetary constraints of their

affordable housing projects. By using

the driveway as a ramp to the entry

porch, installing a sliding door to eliminate door swings, and recessing the

front door’s tracks within the finished

floor, the studio was able to incorporate

full wheelchair accessibility into a compelling residential design.

The house also makes use of extensive

sustainable building practices and

materials. It is built with recycled steel,

and the students reused concrete formwork for the subflooring and framing

materials. Sustainable materials used in

the project include Plyboo flooring (a

hardwood flooring replacement), recycled rubber flooring in the bath and

utility spaces, and aluminum shingles

cut from a local producer’s waste.

Construction materials were donated by

a wide range of local and national manufacturers and suppliers.

1

Main bathroom

The main bathroom and halfbath utility room are paneled

with extruded polycarbonate

to allow natural light to

penetrate the entire volume

while still affording privacy.

2

Foundation under 

construction

3

Main living area and kitchen

4

Rear view, showing

extension of entry platform

to create rear deck

5

Entry canopy at night

2 3

4 5
106

school’s graduation ceremony as a confirmation of its importance in the

overall curriculum.

Future Development

Rockhill would like his students to begin to work with prefabricated or

manufactured building components in more urban, inner-city areas.

Additionally, he would eventually like to be able to do multifamily mixeduse projects. He expressed interest in identifying project support for

large-scale land purchases to allow students to work on larger, more 

public projects.
107

Yale Urban Design Workshop

Location Yale University School of Architecture, New Haven, CT

Program type University-based community design center

Lead staff Michael Haverland (director), Alan Plattus (director)

Total staff 2

Date founded 1993

Annual activity

Budget $50,000–$250,000 

# of projects 1–5

# of students 5–20

Summary

Yale Urban Design Workshop is a universitybased community design center affiliated with

the Yale University School of Architecture. The

workshop offers planning and design services to

New Haven neighborhoods and other

Connecticut communities through a model of

intense community-based participation. The

UDW emphasizes planning and feasibility studies over design and construction in order to

avoid competition with local design firms, but it

has also completed built projects through extension and implementation of its planning

recommendations.

Mission

Yale Urban Design Workshop provides a forum

for faculty and students from the School of

Architecture, as well as students and faculty

from other professional schools at Yale, to study

the issues, ideas, and practical problems of the

contemporary urban landscape. The design

process emphasizes intense community-based

participation, and the community and interdisciplinary design team work as equals, sharing

authority and expertise.
108

History and Leadership

Established in 1993, the UDW owes much of its current form to a design

studio taught by Stanley Tigerman, now codirector of the Archeworks

program also profiled in this book. Prior to that time, teams of Yale students and faculty had participated in design charettes in the region

organized by other schools, but the School of Architecture’s involvement

in the New Haven community did not extend beyond the work of the

Yale Building Project (see p. 116). The 1993 studio spawned the 

creation of New Haven Collaborative, a student-generated organization

with representation from all of Yale’s professional schools established to

work collaboratively on real projects in New Haven. The collaborative

formed the basis of the UDW’s community involvement.

The UDW is staffed by two directors, each responsible for specific

projects. Both are full-time faculty members at the Yale School of

Architecture. Michael Haverland teaches 80 percent time in the design

curriculum at the School of Architecture and, in addition to volunteer

time, devotes the remaining 20 percent of his designated time, when

fundable by UDW projects, to the UDW. He is a licensed architect. Alan

Plattus is tenured, teaches full-time in the School of Architecture, and

works on projects at the UDW as a volunteer. For large community

charettes, the workshop engages a team of regular faculty members from

the School of Architecture and from the Schools of Forestry and

Environmental Studies, Law, and Management who volunteer their 

time not only to lead teams at the charettes but also during design development. For many projects, the workshop solicits assistance from local

professionals with expertise not available at Yale and provides them a

modest honorarium for their services.

The UDW has no advisory board and is governed by the dean 

of the School of Architecture. Advice is often sought from senior faculty

members at the school, the school’s advisory council members, and 

from regular meetings with New Haven’s city planner and development

director. 
109

Dwight Elementary School, New Haven, 

Connecticut, 2000–01

The Yale Urban Design Workshop cites

the addition to the Timothy Dwight

Elementary School as the best-proven

example of the merits of the participatory UDW design process. Students,

teachers, and local residents were

considered active members of the

design team and were encouraged to

contribute their expertise throughout

the process. In keeping with the workshop’s program philosophy, the

expertise of community members of the

design team was given equal weight in

decision-making processes, and the

school has been a tremendous success

from the community’s perspective.

The addition has also been widely recognized for its design excellence.

Michael Haverland, who acted as project

designer, and the rest of the team were

recognized by the Association of

Collegiate Schools of Architecture with

its Collaborative Practice Award in 2000,

supporting the unique nature of the

design process and the high quality of

the resulting building. Haverland also

recently received an AIA New York

Chapter Design Award and a design

award from the Congress for the New

Urbanism for the building. These recognitions for design merit have helped the

UDW in advocating for the value of

community-based participatory

processes and challenge common

perceptions that “design by committee”

leads to the lowest common denominator of design quality.

p. 107:

Planning session 

Teachers, students,

designers, and members of

the local community

participated in these

sessions.

above:

Front elevation
110

1 2

3
111

Dwight Elementary School

1

Cornice detail

2

Entrance lobby

3

Multipurpose room

4

Side elevation

5

Brickwork detail

4

5
112

Philosophy and Working Methods

The UDW characterizes its commitment to community-based practice as

an opportunity to expose students at the Yale School of Architecture to

alternatives to conventional architectural practice. Recognizing that

recent alumni of the Yale School of Architecture have tended to open

small independent design offices serving primarily wealthy private clients,

the UDW has attempted to resurrect an earlier spirit of cooperation and

community design spearheaded under Charles Moore’s leadership of the

School of Architecture in the late 1960s. 

The workshop considers all of its clients as equal collaborators.

Clients are thought of as experts on how they live and work and would

like to live and work in their communities, and UDW staff are thought of

as experts in best practices and design skills. Client collaboration is identified as the key to success.

The UDW provides planning and design services to towns and

cities in Connecticut and neighborhoods in New Haven, consciously limiting its work to Connecticut in response to Yale’s status as the only

school of architecture in the state. In order to avoid the potential for

unproductive competition with local professionals, the UDW does not

provide services that local architects are in a position to provide.

Examples of noncompetitive services include engagement in timeintensive community processes that are not yet economically viable in 

the private sector and pro bono projects that are too small for consideration by local design practices. For similar reasons, the UDW does not

typically engage in construction projects, limiting its services to planning,

feasibility studies and schematic design, and assistance in hiring local

architects. The Dwight Elementary School illustrated on these pages is

an exception to this rule. 

The UDW has made a commitment to achieving design at the

highest level, even under conditions of constrained budgets and disadvantaged contexts, proposing that it is in these conditions that the maximum

creativity and sensitivity is required. The UDW ensures design quality by

operating under the same standards and scrutiny as the Yale School of
113

Architecture. Codirectors Haverland and Plattus both teach design 

studios at the school, which encourages discourse and debate between the

on-the-ground projects and the theoretical pursuits explored in studios.

Challenges to design quality primarily derive from limited time available

for students and faculty to collaborate. 

The workshop measures its own success by the direct effects that

the planning and design projects eventually have on the physical

landscape. This may take time, and can involve actual projects at the

smallest scale, but plans that end up “on the shelf” are considered of no

use. Plans are also considered successful if they can be used to generate

grants, strengthen planning departments, and organize citizen groups.

Curriculum/Pedagogy 

Graduate students from the School of Architecture typically work at the

UDW during the academic year 5-to-10 hours per week as paid fellows.

The number of fellows ranges from 3 to 15 during the year. During the

summer, from 5 to 30 fellows work full-time on stipend, some

supplemented by other university fellowships that specifically support

community work. Project teams typically include one of the directors,

one or two advanced students who have worked on a project at the UDW

before, and a team of first- or second-year graduate students. UDW also

invites undergraduate students from Yale College to participate. For community charettes, students frequently participate as volunteers for the

weekend and occasionally then join the team to develop a final report.

Because some projects last up to two years, student membership tends to

rotate on an informal basis, with one of the two directors acting as the

permanent staff on any project. 

The directors’ parallel leadership of design studios and seminars 

at the School of Architecture helps to maintain a high level of discourse

about workshop projects and helps relate UDW work to theoretical 

pursuits in the studios.
114

Community Engagement

Liaisons to the community are established for the UDW by presence 

on the ground, active engagement with residents, and commitment

demonstrated by delivering products communities need. Historically,

relationships between Yale and its economically disadvantaged neighboring communities have been tense, but the workshop has built trust with

citizens, particularly in New Haven, over time through the incremental

process of working together and by being both patient and responsive.

Community members are educated about design through community charettes where residents participate in the design process, and

public exhibitions organized by the UDW. Haverland has also been

involved with pilot programs for the National Trust for Historic

Preservation, establishing guidelines for renovation in low-income 

neighborhoods.

Potential clients come to the UDW through referral, as the UDW

does not market its services. In New Haven, requests from the city or

from Yale on behalf of a community organization are common, and the

UDW attempts to service all such requests when possible. For projects

outside of New Haven, potential clients are asked to submit a project

description, and the current team of UDW fellows and directors meets to

establish which projects best suit the interests of students and the pedagogical mission of the UDW. Each year the UDW takes on one large

planning project with a community-based charette and several smaller

feasibility studies or small-scale design projects.

Sources of Support

The workshop’s annual operating budget has ranged from $30,000 in

1995 to $250,000 in 1997, and the UDW is financially autonomous from

the School of Architecture. Yale University covers space costs and utilities, by providing office space and partial faculty time, and has recently

allowed use of computer facilities at the school. Remaining salaries,
115

equipment, supplies, marketing, and other costs are borne by the UDW,

whose cash income derives from project-related fees or grants. 

Planning services provided to communities in Connecticut are

supported by at-cost design fees, which cover student time, honoraria,

supplies, and a small contribution to overhead. Funds raised by communities to cover these costs typically come from designated civic funds, donations, or small grants from banks and community development funds. 

The UDW’s New Haven work has either served local nonprofit

developers or has been in cooperation with Yale University. Work for

local developers is fee-based, covered mostly by technical assistance

grants to the nonprofit developer. Work in New Haven neighborhoods

has been supported by grants obtained in partnership with Yale

University, including grants from the Fannie Mae Foundation and HUD. 

The UDW has also worked directly for Yale University to assist in

coordinating university planning projects with local community interests,

for which the workshop has been able to obtain professional fees at market rate, paid in cash and in kind. In-kind payment has included

additional office space, and cash fees contributed to the purchase of computers and equipment and supported pro bono work in New Haven.

The workshop directors are investigating the possibility of an

endowment to address long-term financial sustainability. 

Exhibition of design and

planning process for Dwight

Elementary School
116

Yale Building Project

The Yale Urban Design Workshop 

continues a tradition of community

engagement initiated in 1967 with the

founding of the renowned Yale Building

Project, directed by Professor Paul

Brouard, one of the oldest continuously

operating university-based community

design programs in the country. The Yale

Building Project’s programs have been a

required component of graduate education in architecture at Yale for its entire

history, and it offers students an opportunity to design and build a building as

part of their graduate education. Indeed,

some incoming students acknowledge

having selected Yale specifically for the

opportunity to participate in the Yale

Building Project.

Over the course of its history, 

the Yale Building Project has adapted

repeatedly to changes in funding and

partnership opportunities, and it currently partners with a local nonprofit

organization to annually design and build

one house in a New Haven neighborhood.

The Yale Building Project is structured as

a curricular subcomponent of the master

of architecture degree program at the

School of Architecture and as such 

provides all first-year students a serviceoriented design/build experience by

providing innovative, low-cost housing 

in distressed neighborhoods within 

New Haven. 

The Yale Building Project has published a useful resource manual for the

formation of similar programs at other

universities. The Yale Building Project: 

A Resource Manual is a step-by-step

guide to the detailed logistics of starting

and running a university-based

design/build studio. 

1
117

2001 House, New Haven,

Connecticut

1

Stairway under

construction

2

Front elevation

2
118

Future Development

Currently, much of the UDW’s efforts are targeted at revisiting communities in which the workshop has provided community-based plans since

its inception. Many of these neighborhoods have been able to use plans

developed with the UDW to organize and raise funds, and now they need

design assistance to link the plan to architecture or advisors to guide the

ongoing design process.

During the first five years, an emphasis on relationship-building drove

involvement in a considerable number of towns and New Haven neighborhoods. Having now established its identity firmly among surrounding

communities, the workshop plans to focus its efforts strategically on one

large planning project each year, complemented by two or three smaller

feasibility studies or design projects.
119

Contact Information 

Image Credits
120

Contact Information

Archeworks

625 North Kingsbury

Chicago, IL 60610

Tel: (312) 867-7254

Fax: (312) 867-7260

Web: www.archeworks.org

Contact: Molly Baltman, 

Executive Director

Blue Soup Outreach

The Southern California Institute

of Architecture

960 East Third Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tel: (213) 613-2200

Fax: (213) 613-2260

Web: www.sciarc.edu

Contact: Michael Pinto, 

Coordinator

Randall Wilson, 

Shopmaster

Cleveland Urban 

Design Collaborative

and Urban Design Center of

Northeast Ohio

820 Prospect Avenue, 2nd Floor

Cleveland, OH 44115

Tel: (216) 357-3434

Fax: (216) 357-3430

Web: udc.saed.kent.edu

Contact: Ruth Durack, Director

Design Corps

302 Jefferson Street

Suite 250

Raleigh, NC 27605

Tel: (919) 828-0048

Fax: (717) 338-0750

Email: designcorps@

onemain.com

Web: www.designcorps.org

Contact: Bryan Bell, Executive 

Director

Detroit Collaborative 

Design Center

University of Detroit Mercy 

School of Architecture

4001 W. McNichols Road

P.O. Box 19900

Detroit, MI 48219-0900

Tel: (313) 993-1037

Web: www.arch.udmercy.edu/

dcdc/dcdc.html

Contact: Dan Pitera, Director

Howard S. Wright Design/

Build Studio

University of Washington

Department of Architecture

3949 15th Ave NE

208J—Gould Hall, Box 355720

Seattle, WA 98195-5720

Tel: (206) 543-7144

Email: sbadanes@

u.washington.edu

Web: online.caup.washington.

edu/courses/badanes

Contact: Steve Badanes, Director

The Rural Studio / 

The Outreach Studio

Auburn University School of

Architecture

202 Dudley Commons

Auburn University, AL 36849-5313

Tel: (334) 884-4524, 

(334) 844-5426 

(campus)

Fax: (334) 844-5458 

(campus)

Email: ruralstudio@

mail.auburn.edu

Web: www.arch.auburn.edu/

ruralstudio

Contact: D. K. Ruth, Director

Andrew Freear, Visiting 

Assistant Professor

Studio 804

University of Kansas

206 Marvin Hall

Lawrence, Kansas 66045

Tel/Fax: (785) 864-4265

Email: studio804@ku.edu

Web: http://www.studio804.

com

Contact: Dan Rockhill, Director

The Yale Building Project

Yale School of Architecture

180 York Street

New Haven, CT 06520-8242

Tel: (203) 432-2296

Fax: (202) 432-7175

Contact: Paul Brouard, 

Program Director

Yale Urban Design Workshop

Yale School of Architecture

Box 208242

New Haven, CT 06520

Tel: (203) 432-4029

Fax: (202) 432-7175

Web: www.yale.edu/

udw/udw.html

Contact: Michael Haverland, 

Director 

Alan Plattus, Director
121

Image Credits

Cover: Courtesy of Studio 804

18–19: Diagrams by Jason Pearson

27, 28, 30–31: Courtesy of

Archeworks

35, 36, 39: Courtesy of Blue Soup

Outreach

43, 45, 47: Courtesy of Cleveland

Urban Design Collaborative

51, 52, 55: Courtesy of Design

Corps

59, 60, 63, 65–66: Courtesy of

Detroit Collaborative Design

Center

69 (left), 74–75 (#1), 78: Courtesy

of Howard S. Wright Design/Build

Studio, photos by Jared Polesky

69 (right), 71, 72, 74–75 (#3–5 &

#7–9), 76, 80, 81 (#2–3): Photos by

Jason Pearson

74 (#2 & #6), 79: Courtesy of

Howard S. Wright Design/Build

Studio

81 (#1, #4–7): Courtesy of SHED,

photos by Jared Polesky

83 (left), 87 (bottom): Courtesy of

the Rural Studio, photos by Tim

Hursley

83 (right), 84, 87 (top), 88, 90, 91,

93: Courtesy of the Rural Studio

85: Diagram by Jason Pearson

97, 98, 101, 104–105: Courtesy of

Studio 804 

107, 109–111, 115: Courtesy of Yale

Urban Design Workshop

116–117: Courtesy of Yale Building

Project

All images were provided by the

individual community design programs for use exclusively in this

publication and the report on which

it is based. Any duplication or unauthorized use represents an

infringement of copyright protections. Additional information is

available from the individual programs listed on the Contact

Information page. 
122

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Jason Pearson