The Design-Build Masters program at Auburn University has taken community service to another level. Many students in the College of Architecture and Design worked together to restore the historic Shiloh-Rosenwald School, a building that educated black children during segregation. Located in Notasulga, the school is less than 30 miles away from Auburn University. Auburn students were led by professors D.K. Ruth and Anthony Tindall as they planned how to approach the project.
"The school is one big room that can be made into two rooms with bathrooms at the front," Ruth said. "We decided to add on a room to the front and make it a technology classroom with brand new bathrooms. That is what Liz Sims, a graduate of the Shiloh school and founder of the Shiloh Community Restoration Foundation, wanted. "
Ruth said the students in the program were drawn to this project.
"They really just wanted to help," Ruth said. "It sort of grabbed their hearts."
Ruth said Liz Sims, came to him with the project in mind two years ago.
"Our students started with lots of research into the history of the building and the systems that would be needed," Tindall said. "Most of the focus was put on the front room."
The school was completed with the help of both architecture and building science students.
"Students from architecture and building science don't usually get to work together in the classroom," Ruth said. "Our goal for the Design-Build Masters program is to form a team of students from both majors. That way, they can collaborate while working on a hands-on activity."
The hands-on part of the project was beneficial for Tyler Broome, one of the 12 students who participated in rebuilding the school.
"We took Design-Build to a whole knew level, and discovered that the true process didn't occur in a studio somewhere huddled around a computer or desk," Broome said. "The real process occurred on site, within the space we were designing, and with all of us getting our hands on and wrapping our minds around the task at hand. That is a very real, hands on, mind-enhancing, community-enriching educational experience."
The Design-Build Masters Program is now in its fourth official year at Auburn University. In addition to the Shiloh-Rosenwald project, students in the program have participated in designing a Salvation Army thrift store and an emergency shelter for victims of hurricanes.
Tindall said he was one of the first participants in the program. "After graduating, I worked for three years," Tindall said. "When I came back to help lead the Shiloh-Rosenwald project, I got to actually construct and gain confidence by finishing a project from start to finish."
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