the pragmatic nature of the program, the designers also must incorporate contributions of donated and recycled materials like lumber, windows, doors, and appliances. Build The documents are completed by the end of the college’s summer session, and in August the grad students move 5 ½ hours from Salt Lake to live on the Bluff Campus. They occupy the Historic Farmhouse: the class lives together, eats together and builds together. They drive to the site early in the morning and often work 10 to 12 hours a day. The site is very remote and everything has to be imported and all waste is exported. Learning from on-site instructors and contractors, they study and apply real-life construction skills that can range from staging materials to installing finishes. Meanwhile, the students also take other classes, such as Southwest Culture and a Research and Theory course by remote learning. By the end of the four-month semester, the project is delivered and the students return to the Salt Lake Campus. Typically, they are very bonded and have built a community, as one student said, “physically, metaphorically and personally.” DesignBuildUtah@SLC Not all students have the flexibility to go to Bluff. Recognizing this, the University of Utah has added DesignBuildUtah@SLC to its curriculum. It is now in its eighth year. Located on the Salt Lake City campus, this course focuses on materials and experimentation and works on a different scale than a house. It is an intensive experience that begins with a summer session then moves into a rigorous fall design semester. Collaborating with the local architects, students work on community-engaged projects. Mentored by the faculty and other professionals, they study high performance methods of design and fabrication. Recent projects have included affordable housing prototypes, a tiny house on wheels for The Other Side Village, a master-planned neighborhood that provides housing for people who have experienced chronic homelessness. This year, DesignBuildUtah@SLC is exploring possibilities of working with the Utah Transit Authority. Both educational programs are made possible by the Herculean efforts of the University, the partner communities, alumni, and particularly the many people and organizations who make contributions. The DesignBuildUtah website says that the programs are “committed to teaching the practices of creative critical thinking, community engagement, design excellence, ecological resilience, citizenship, leadership/collaboration, exploration and social equity.” By any measurement, DesignBuildUTAH has brought Mockbee’s philosophy and Louis’ vision to life in a program that serves the students and communities alike with experiences and projects that will last for generations. 11
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