Every Friday this month in London's Victoria & Albert Museum, jazz musicians perform, or "woodshed," in an exhibit created by Auburn University's Rural Studio, part of the architecture school.
"I thought (the audience) really enjoyed it," said Andrew Freear, director of the Rural Studio. "I think they were delighted to see a
school of architecture enrolled."
The exhibit had its grand opening June 15, but will stay open until Aug. 30.
Auburn is the only school of architecture participating in the museum's exhibition, which focuses on small spaces. A curator from the V&A Museum invited 19 architects to design buildings to compete for a spot in the exhibit, but only seven projects were chosen to be built.
"I think it's a really big honor that Auburn University was selected to exhibit its work," said Barbara Ann Luttrell, an Auburn alumna.
Members of the Studio created a shed made of thinnings, the wood leftover when the weakest trees are cut down in a forest. The material
is sustainable and plentiful in most of the world, Freear said.
The outside of the woodshed was charred with a torch to prevent pests from entering the building, giving it a dark color. This chemical-free technique was inspired by a Native American practice, Freear said.
"We're actually trying to figure out way to use them to make affordable housing, but we're just in the initial stages of this research," Freear said.
The woodshed was designed in Alabama, but it was built by contractors in England to cut costs and be environmentally friendly. Freear designed the project and supervised its construction.
Danny Wicke, an instructor at the Studio, installed the light fixtures for the building.
Brett Jones, a student at the Studio, made the drawings of the woodshed which were sent overseas. Rusty Smith, associate director of the Rural Studio, also contributed to the formation of the woodshed.
The creators of the woodshed planned it to be a place to store things, but also a place where jazz music could be practiced.
"Woodshedding" is a jazz tradition of practicing instruments in privacy. At the request of the Rural Studio members, the V&A Museum offers a weekly jazz improvisation performance in the pavilion.
Phillip Ruth, a senior in building science, said he was impressed with the Studio's accomplishment of being featured in the museum in London. Ruth's father was a co-founder of the Rural Studio in 1993.
When the exhibit is over, the V&A Museum will auction off the woodshed. The museum will keep half of the proceeds and give the other half to the Rural Studio to use for future research.
Although the museum exhibit is centered on small buildings, the woodshed is a large accomplishment for the Rural Studio. Members of the studio are honored that their piece is appreciated by audiences.
"I think what they liked most of all was that it was a cheap and modest material that was made very beautiful," Freear said.
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