Rusty Smith

Rusty Smith
Associate Director
Rural Studio

Keynote Speaker
"Rural Studio and the Front Porch Initiative: Educating Citizen Architects for 30 Years"  
ALA Fall Signature Conference, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023

Rusty Smith is the Associate Director of Rural Studio, Auburn University’s internationally recognized design-build program.

Established in 1993 Rural Studio gives architecture students a hands-on educational experience while assisting the underserved communities of Alabama’s rural Black Belt region. The students work in partnership with their neighbors in the local community to define solutions, fundraise, design and ultimately build remarkable projects.

In its initial years, the Studio first became known for establishing an ethos of recycling, reusing and remaking. Over the past decade, Rural Studio has expanded the scope and complexity of its projects to include the design and construction of community-oriented infrastructure, the development of more broadly-attainable small home affordability solutions, and a comprehensive approach to addressing insecurity issues relative to income, energy, food, health, and education resources. All together, the Studio continually questions what should be built, rather than simply what can be built.

Rural Studio has earned a world-renowned reputation not only because of its one-of-a-kind hands-on approach to architectural education, but also in recognition of now more than 200 beautifully designed and constructed projects. Located in the small town of Newbern, Alabama (population:186), Rural Studio has worked with a broad variety of community partners who together are committed to investing in and reinforcing the collective value of Place.

The overarching philosophy of Rural Studio is quite simple: everyone, no matter their circumstance, deserves the benefit of good, dignified design, and a safe and secure place to call home. To date, Rural Studio has educated more than 1200 Citizen Architects.

Educated first at Auburn University and then at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rusty is a nationally recognized teacher and scholar. His honors include the receipt of the American Institute of Architects National Teaching Honor Award, the American Institute of Architecture Students National Teaching Honor Award, and Auburn University’s Creative Research and Scholarship Award.

Collectively, Rural Studio has garnered numerous recognitions for both teaching and design, including the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design Award for Architecture, the American Institute of Architects Presidential Citation, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for Social Responsibility, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture, and the UNESCO Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

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