Buildings, Communities, and Pods

The Rural Studio slide lecture by Andrew Olds and Ross Lackey

Andrew Olds and Ross Lackey are recent graduates of the Rural Studio, an architecture education program at Alabama's Auburn University that was founded in 1993 by the late architect Samuel Mockbee. Students of the program devote part of their coursework to creating beautiful, functional housing and other structures for impoverished rural communities in western Alabama. What's especially unusual is that the structures are built largely from extremely low-cost, locally available, recycled materials, including discarded auto tires and cardboard bales. Andrew and Ross, now working as architects in Portland, will tell you all about the Rural Studio and the projects they carried out while they were students there.

Dignity Village Tour slide lecture by Jack Tafari

Jack Tafari is a resident and council chairman of Dignity Village, a "tent city" that formed in 2000 after Portland's anti-camping ordinance was overturned. Beginning as eight tents under a bridge, the original "Camp Dignity" has evolved into a community of about sixty people that includes semi-permanent homes and common buildings, a vegetable garden, a windmill, and an elected government. Residents of the sustainable community, temporarily located at a city composting facility on the western outskirts of the airport, are working hard to find a permanent home. Tafari, who has lived at Dignity Village for more than a year and been an active spokesperson for the experiment, will give a virtual tour of the community.

Columbia Villa slide lecture by Mark Hansen

Mark Hansen is a third grade teacher and a member of the Lecture Series Steering Committee. Many of his students at Clarendon Elementary School live at Columbia Villa, Portland's largest and oldest federal housing project. Presently, a planning process is underway that will culminate in the demolition of Columbia Villa and the construction of a new housing/multi-use development in its place with funds from the federal government's Hope 6 program. Over the past year, Mark has studied the intriguing history of the site and asked his students to imagine their vision of the future housing community. He'll share his thoughts and theirs, and offer a preview of what's to come.

Archigrams exhibit by Natalie Severson

Natalie Severson presents scenes of futuristic pod living.

Giant Building Blocks

Construct your own structures with our giant building blocks.