Phillip Todd, a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas’s architecture program, describes northwest Arkansas as "the Tyson Chicken and Wal-Mart capital of the world."

previous image | next image Design-Build House Fayetteville, Ark., 2002 University of Arkansas design-build studioÑ Constructed over the course of a single academic semester, this house cost $65,000 to build. Students did every job except for the insulation, foundation, plumbing, and electrical work. The double-height interior gives the house an open feeling, despite being smaller than a previous plan for the same program. Photography © Mark Herrmann, Josh Danish, and Cory Whalin.

Todd was part of a group of students who built a low-cost house in an entire semester, and this description played a big part in the final aesthetic design of the house. It's also an approach that impressed the Bank of Fayetteville, which underwrote the project. The course's professors, Eva Kultermann and Greg Herman, set an ambitious program for the yearlong course: Take a low-budget house from design to completion in a single semester. During the fall semester, the 16 students in the class worked individually on designs for a 1,200-square-foot house and met once a week on an informal basis to discuss their progress. By the end of the term, the 16 designs had been narrowed to four by a vote of the class. These four designs were presented to the board of the bank, which returned with two designs: a floorplan by Todd, Deric Louton, and Justin Couch; and a design palette based on the submission produced by J.B. Mullins, Josh Danish, and Mark Herrmann.

The bank and the school had collaborated before, with the same program: three bedrooms, two baths. In addition to the construction budget, the bank provided the lot and chose the family who would eventually live in the house.

"I've actually met the family that's getting the house," Todd said. "They've been an active part of the process. They came out once or twice a week, to see how things were going and give feedback. I was glad to see that it was going to someone who was really excited about the house, instead of someone chosen based just on income. I think it was a big advantage to the entire class; we felt a lot better about it knowing that it was going to be enjoyed."

Winter break afforded the class a chance to get ready for the task of construction.

"I was named project supervisor," Herrmann said, "and Phillip Todd was named accountant. While Phillip was getting the permits in order, the rest of the class worked with me on the daunting task of combining two very dissimilar designs into one house. The final design appeared very similar to the second design from the exterior, while the plan followed the basic layout of the first design."

When the permits finally came through in mid-January, 2002, the team began work. Besides the foundation, insulation, plumbing, and electricity, every part of the house was built by the 16 students. The team included Steve Click, Carolyn Pike, Heiko Mueller, Brett Abbott, Katie Breshears, Ben Butler, John Bredehoeft, Aaron Scott, Davide Tinto, and Cory Whalin. [Click here to see the team]

They worked well together. "We were ahead of schedule for a long time," Todd said. "But we had some rain delays, and finished right on time. I’m surprised how fast it went."

The late Sam Mockbee, the respected master of the low-cost design-build studio, was surprised, as well. He visited the program in the 2000–2001 school year and told the professors that he was amazed that a building could be completed in a single semester.

Kevin Lerner