RURAL STUDIO_Lucy's House

Lucy in her house, Image Source: samuelmockbee.net

NAME: Lucy House
ARCHITECT: Samuel Mockbee + Rural Studio Auburn University
CLIENT: Anderson + Lucy Harris
LOCATION: Mason's Bend, AL
DATE: 2001-2002

SHSH_Pavillion du Bonheur Provisoire (Beer Crate Pavillion)

NAME: Pavillion du Bonheur Provisoire (Beer Crate Pavillion)
ARCHITECT: SHSH
CLIENT: Atomium asbl
LOCATION: Brussels
DATE: 2008

RAWrchitecture...examples of what IS and what IS NOT.

EXHIBIT A:

• 1 Shipping container transformed into a house IS NOT RAWrchitecture because it does NOT involve assembly or reimagined tectonic relationships and it is not systematic.

Bright and Light Container Home

• 2(+) Shipping containers stacked and transformed into a house IS RAWrchitecture b/c it involves creating new programmatic uses and relationships based on innate material and tectonic characteristics that have been manipulated for a new purpose.

Lo-Tek Shipping Container Home

 EXHIBIT B:

• 1 Shoe used as a flower pot IS NOT RAWrchitecture because the original form and function (a container) is unchanged.

• 1 Sneaker cut up, and reassembled into something new IS RAWrchitecture, because the original form and function is changed.

Brian Jungen, Prototype for New Understanding

 EXHIBIT C:

• Carpet used as a rooting medium for a green roof IS NOT RAWrchitecture, because, while it is part of a new assembly, there is not any physical change or tectonic nature to the original material.

The Green Monster, EcoVillage, The Farm

• Carpet stacked as a wall assembly IS RAWrchitecture, because the carpet is cut, reformed, and assembled in a new way for an alternative purpose than it was originally intended.

Lucy House, Rural Studio

RAWrchitecture...why is it important?

The industrial/technological revolution has forever changed the way that humans inhabit earth and live their lives.  It has done away with the age of antiquity by creating objects that are designed to be thrown away; it has impressed upon the masses values of quantity over quality; it has transcended all physical borders through the development of complex trading/shipping networks; and it has championed the concept of convenience.  100 years ago, people got their food at a market and it was fresh, and it lasted only a few days.  These days products are shipped overseas in giant shipping containers, then moved across countries in crates and other smaller containers, and by the time the consumer gets it, it is in a small box or plastic containers wrapped in plastic.  These things are designed to last forever, yet are only of use for a very short time.

While this process makes things easy and convenient for consumers, it is incredibly taxing on the environment.  Even worse, most of the waste generated from this time of ubiquitous and unhindered consumption is, for all intents and purposes, non-biodegradable.  If consumption patterns coupled with this poisonous material palette continue there will be no more room and the earth will be a very sick place.  For these reasons, there is a burgeoning need to replace plastics and other non-biodegradable materials with biodegradable alternatives in addition to altering consumption patterns if the earth is to be saved.  But, all that aside, the remains...even if all of the materials of the world were suddenly biodegradable, what do we do with all of the stuff that is already here?

This is where RAWrchitecture comes in.  RAWrchitecture seeks to take the refuse of the industrial/technological revolution that would negatively impact the environment in a landfill or as part of the costly and energy intensive recycling process and use it as RAWmaterial for creating something both positive and new, tectonic and spatial.  RAWrchitecture takes advantage of the simple repetition and quantity of industrial production by creating new tectonic and programmatic relationships while revealing hidden complexities in both form and function.  Lastly, RAWrchitecutre seeks to transform the relationship of the human body and psyche to the products and materials of throw away culture.

RAWrchitecture...what is it?

Welcome to the RAWrchitecture blog.  In order to understand RAWrchitecture, there are some things you need to know before embarking on this quest.  So first I'll hit you with a few terms that are the basis for every single post to follow!

      1.   RAWmaterial [raw-muh-teer-ee-ug'l](n.)

• is any existing object(s) or material that is perceived to be simple, ie. it cannot be broken down into component parts, which has innate tectonic characteristics that allow it to be transformed, manipulated, broken down and/or (re)assembled in a new way for purpose alternative to that for what it was originally intended.
• Examples:
• toy car
• shipping container
• tire
• paper clip
• hanger
• windshield
• eyeglasses
• PET water bottles
• beer crates

      2.   RAWrchitecture [raw-ahr-ki-tek-cher] (n.)

• blurs the boundaries between art, architecture, industrial, and interior design.
• challenges the RAWrchitect to find hidden complexities and relationships within the RAWmaterials of everyday life.
• physically transforms, manipulates, and/or (dis)(re)assembles RAWmaterial(s) through the creation of alternatives tectonic systems designed to fit new programmatic needs.
• is defined by the altered RAWmaterial(s) from which it is created.
• seeks to redefine the relationship between the human body and objects of the industrial/technological revolution.
• may occur as a moment within design or as an overarching theme.
• Examples:
• Wall made of stacked glass bottles
• Chandelier made of paperclips
• Seating surface made of hangers
• House made out of beer crates

      3.     RAWrchitect [raw-ahr-ki-tekt] (n.)

• is the deviser, maker, and creator of RAWrchitecture
• Examples:
• Aurora Robson
• Stuart Haygarth
• Brian Jungen
• Massimiliano Adami
• Tadashi Kawamata
• Samuel Mockbee/Rural Studio
• Katherine Walter/Felt Studio
• Lo-tek