The Net + studio trip started with a short 13-hour drive down to Greensboro, Alabama on November 10-13th where the students stayed in two 1850’s or earlier homes through Airbnb for two nights. The 1850’s homes featured many antique pieces of furniture with some updated amenities such as bathrooms and kitchens. The studio met in a local coffee shop with Emily McGlohn a studio professor for Auburn Universities Rural Studio with a short walking tour around Greensboro.
During the Greensboro tour, the studio visited Horseshoe Farm homes project which is still in progress and will be utilized as transitional homes for vulnerable women. The temporary housing uniquely contained three small studio units providing privacy and interaction amongst the other women staying in the units. The students then visited Rural Studio’s design lab where Rural Studio gave a presentation on their current local project, for the Hale County Hospital garden. They were very open about their successes and failures which helped the students realize that sometimes things do not go as expected with implementation from paper to reality. The studio then took a trip to Hale County hospital’s garden to see the project which was designed for rehabilitation. It included a bamboo garden (being redesigned), steel planters, a steel fountain, and several metal trellises with vines growing on and around them. After visiting the hospital, the students drove to Lions park which was completely designed and built by Rural Studio. The park contained several pavilions with ALPOLIC® metal composite material, A playground designed with suspended recycled oil barrels and pipes, and finally a fully functional skate park using concrete to create unique curves and ramps. The studio was very interested in the quality of craftsmanship of concrete pouring and welding of the oil barrels and they all enjoyed visiting the park. The students then ate a nice lunch with Rural Studio at Newbern Mercantile and later traveled across the street to Newbern town hall and Newbern firehouse.
After visiting these projects, the studio visited the 20k housing project model homes each 600-800 sq. Ft. and then later visited the studio’s Pod housing and building area on the Morrisette property. The last rural studio project visited was Perry Lakes Park. After visiting Alabama, the studio began its trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas to stay at the Graduate Hotel and visit Dake Wells firm in Springfield Missouri to get feedback on the St. John Project which was very informative and helped push the architectural side of the student’s project. Before heading back to Manhattan and ending the trip the studio was advised by Dake Wells to eat at black Sheep in Springfield Missouri; which all the students enjoyed.
Net+ Studio is excited to get back to work and start on a design presentation to the city of St. Johns.
The Net Positive Studio 