a[RAW]rchitecture: RURAL STUDIO

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

PROGRAM: A single story residence for the Harris family of five that was to include a kitchen area, living area, tornado shelter, master bedroom, and private space for the children. The only design constraints for this project were 1) budget (being that the family lives in one of the poorest counties in the nation) and 2) the primary design medium was to be recycled carpet salvaged from office buildings and donated by Interface, the world’s largest manufacturer of carpeting tiles and 3) that the design and part of its construction was to be put on display as part of a 2001 exhibit of Rural Studios work put on display in Chicago.

CONCEPT: Lucy House and almost all of Rural Studio’s design projects are constructed from affordable and readily available salvaged/recycled materials and designed with an eye toward social responsibility. Because this project had to be produced and constructed on a slim budget, using a very specific donated material, and it had to incorporate some sort of transportable display component, the studio decided to use the carpet in a unique and unexpected way.

EXECUTION: The Lucy House is an excellent example of RAWrchitecture because it takes a common everyday item, carpet tile, and transforms it into something different, new, and more exciting than that for which it was originally intended. Through the exploration of tectonic relationships of the RAWmaterial, the studio developed an ingenious system of stacking + interlocking carpet tiles, transforming what is traditionally perceived as a two dimensional surface treatment into a three dimensional mass. Walls made of carpeting tiles held in compression by heavy wooden ring beams form the exterior walls of the home. This creates a thermal insulating mass which, in addition to being both texturally and aesthetically pleasing, (because of the way they are positioned in relation to solar patterns, overhangs, and wall openings) helps to cut down on heating and cooling costs for the homeowners while fostering a cozy and affordable home environment. Other important design strategies to note, is the fact that all of the 72,000 carpet tiles used in the design of this project spent 7 years in a warehouse to be sure they no long off-gassed and that the carpet was then treated to be heat /water resistant, and to prevent microbiological growth!