Educational Media Reviews Online

Citizen Architect introduces us to architect Samual Mockbee and the Rural Studio, a pioneering architecture program Mockbee founded in 1993 at Auburn University. The Rural Studio organizes student design-build projects, mainly in Hale County, Alabama, where 1 in 4 residents live in poverty.

This engaging documentary opens with a small town Alabama resident voicing his skepticism about architects: “Architects design buildings for wealthy people. They’re not going to design anything for anybody like us.” By the end of the film the same man, interviewed two years later, praises the Rural Studio for the fire station built in his town, declaring it to be the pride of the town. He applauds the humanitarian aspect the studio brings to architecture. Viewers will likewise applaud the Rural Studio for its unique offering to architectural education, and for the profound impact its projects make in the lives of the people for which its students design and build.

The film focuses on the construction of a home in Greensboro, Alabama, for a man known as Music Man, who formerly lived in a trailer with no easy access to clean water. The students of the Rural Studio use donated and recycled materials to carry out their designs, and live in the communities for during the semester. The film shows the process and product of their work, concluding with the grand opening of Music Man’s home. According to Mockbee’s daughter, Carol, the students leave with a feeling that “I can do anything.” The film stresses the importance of hands-on, real world experience in any kind of education.

Interspersed with the progress of Music Man’s home are interviews with such architects as Peter Eisenman; Architecture for Humanity co-founder Cameron Sinclair; and Mockbee himself, who has since passed away, discussing the approaches to socially conscious architecture; the ideas behind the Rural Studio; and how it has become a landmark among socially minded architecture programs. The questions raised about the role of architecture in society will prompt a discussion important to any student of architecture.

The film exhibits high technical standards with good sound quality and camera work. The pacing is excellent, with insightful comments, lively background music, and enough comedy to maintain interest. It will very well serve as an introduction to young architecture students of real world concerns outside the classroom studio. Citizen Architect is an inspiring film that will appeal to architecture students and instructors, as well as anyone interested in socially responsible programs.