Mockbee’s Rural Studio program, which provided practical training for architecture students in underserved areas of the southern United States where their work could address the problems of poverty and substandard housing. Inspired by Mockbee’s philosophy and excited by the possibilities, Louis studied with Mockbee at Auburn University to help determine how he might create a similar program in Utah. Louis had friends who taught at the University of Utah and, in 2000, he collaborated with them to start a graduate class that created small design-build projects in Summit County and Park City, like a bandstand and a pavilion. This “pilot” course was effective, and in 2004 the program moved to the next level. Louis had bought land near Bluff, Utah, and once there, he saw a need for housing on the nearby Navajo reservation. Louis partnered the University with the Navajo Nation to create an immersive experiential learning program that not only gives architecture students the hands-on experience of designing and building structures, but that could help address the reservation’s housing shortage. Every year they could add another, very different, home to the reservation. Louis recognized that since the tribe already owned the land, building would be less expensive. With less municipal influence and therefore less red tape, there could be an opportunity to experiment architecturally and employ progressive and environmentally responsible design strategies. The inevitable byproduct of this endeavor is that it also teaches students to collaborate with clients to address their needs and how to build empathetic design-build teams. 9
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