An architecture of honesty
Sam Mockbee creates “an architecture of honesty”
Mockbee’s ideas for rural studio are designing for humanity as a whole. The whole premise behind why rural studio exists is to give quality spaces to people in the rural south that would never have those opportunities readily available to them. How Mockbee describes the process behind thinking about honest architecture is poetic. The overarching idea of making a world a better place, he describes, can be done with no clear path. With each new client or project type, we as architects shift how we think about a world worth living in and how the path we carve out for the project plays into this.
Rural studio, even after the death of Mockbee, is looking at architecture in the ideal best practice approach. It gives way to social justice in an area. It speaks to high quality materials and their sustainable backtracking. It is honest. It does not hide behind an over complicated façade or a dense list of programs. It is great to see that his legacy has continued and helps the architectural leaders of tomorrow see how quality does not mean starchitecture.
I love the poetry of Mockbee's work and what you discussed here. I was surprised to find that there wasn't more of this in the world, but my newly found pessimism of people suggests I wouldn't be surprised anymore. Unfortunately more places have to focus on the bottom dollar rather than designing for those who deserve it for a long list of reasons that prevents us from doing good work for those who can't afford good work.
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