Architecture students collaborate with Appalachian communities through new program
Many architecture students spend a semester during their undergraduate studies conducting research and studying design, history, and theory in an immersive environment in the United States and other countries. This semester, a new experiential learning program is offering students in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design the opportunity to "study abroad from home" while making a meaningful impact on the community.
Called the Appalachian Futures Lab, the program sits at the intersection of practice, design work, community, and education and is focusing this semester on the historical coal town of Pocahontas, Virginia, a community of about 300 residents located less than two hours from Blacksburg. Throughout the semester, students will visit and engage with community groups, research and document the architecture through photos and drawings, and create impact-oriented conceptual designs for the community in support of both economic development and preservation efforts.
“The Appalachian Futures Lab is imagined as an opportunity for students to get embedded and do experiential learning and community-based work, but with travel. It can be based in Blacksburg, but students will go and spend time in local communities, working with real people and real projects. This work will be informed by regional travel, including a week-long excursion through five Appalachian states. The thought was, we don’t have to go quite so far in the world to learn about architecture and to meet people and do design,” said Kevin Jones, associate professor of practice in the School of Architecture.
Students left for a three-day trip to Pocahontas on Jan. 24. They took a scenic route through coal towns in West Virginia, including Itmann, Welch, and Bramwell. Each stop featured exploration of different types of historical architecture, offering students insight into the region's history and the impacts of coal mining. Towns that once boomed with industry now are mostly empty. Brandon Hernandez, a senior architecture student, said seeing areas that “need a lot of love” is emotional, but he’s eager to propose ideas that may help the community in Pocahontas.
“We’re working with good people. We’re wanting to do good things for them, and they’re counting on us to propose an idea to help reimagine what this town could be,” said Hernandez.
“Where we are now versus Blacksburg, which is not that far away, the difference in the towns is pretty drastic,” said Camille Lyles, another senior architecture student. “There’s a lot of great architecture, but since most people in those towns are leaving those areas, a lot is falling into disrepair or completely falling down, which loses a little bit of history. It’s one of the things that’s really cool about this experience, that we might be able to help preserve some of the great architecture here in Appalachia.”
Pocahontas Mayor Benjamin Gibson, leaders from the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, and members of Historic Pocahontas Inc., a local preservation organization, met with students throughout the day on Jan. 25. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions before spending Jan. 26 measuring, photographing, and sketching buildings that will serve as the basis for design concepts. One focus will be the Pocahontas Fuel Building, a structure built during World War II.
“The Fuel Building is a sturdy brick building in town that was once the headquarters of the Pocahontas Fuel Company. The community is looking to adaptively reuse the structure to support economic development, with a focus on things like tourism, health care access, and affordable housing. The students will use these ideas as starting points to engage in conceptual design work to support this vision,” said Jones.
“There was a lot of history reviewed, so how do we use that history to push forward into the future? There are some spots that have set for a while and we’ve been stuck, and I think what we’ve learned today is that we have a path forward,” said Gibson. “Having outside help from Virginia Tech is positive news for the town that builds excitement in the citizens that live here, but it also builds excitement for entrepreneurs who see the local government is taking extra steps to help the local economy and the community.”
Community members joined the group for dinner Jan. 25, sharing stories over a meal provided by the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors and the Bottoms Up Moto Inn, where students stayed for two nights. Gibson said most residents are in their 70s and 80s and appreciate the opportunity to share what Pocahontas used to be like, giving Virginia Tech students more insight into the town’s history. Younger residents were present to share changes they would like to see in their community, changes Gibson hopes will retain future generations and attract others.
“I think by the Virginia Tech students listening to some of the youth, they’ll get an idea of what the younger generation also needs and what can make their life a little bit easier because that attracts younger generations here,” said Gibson.
“One of my favorite things is being able to talk with the client and actually get a sense of what they need and be able to fill that need and figure out what we can do that’s going to be best for them,” said Lyles. “This is a great opportunity to have more experience working directly with the community.”
For more than 50 years, the School of Architecture has focused the education of architects around the ideas of thinking by doing and learning through making. Empathy and creativity are at the core of their efforts. Students pursue work that is impactful and design processes that are inclusive and that cultivate community — Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in action.
“These students, these architects, that I teach at Virginia Tech are interested in having an impact. They want to make change in the world, and they’re chomping at the bit to do that. This is how you do it. You go out, you talk to people, you meet them where they are, and you bring the work to them,” said Jones.
The Appalachian Futures Lab is serving the region and offering students hands-on field experience, but it is also a cost-effective opportunity. The cost per student is estimated at $1,000. With institutional funding from the School of Architecture and the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, as well as in-kind support and resources from community partners and other stakeholders, the experience for all students this semester was completely covered.
Jones said he hopes this first semester will allow the students and faculty to build relationships and shape future opportunities for service. In February, the group will visit The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, to engage with members of the Roberson Project and the people of the town’s historic Black St. Mark’s community. This visit will lay the groundwork for the lab’s work in the fall: a collaboration with students and faculty from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of the South, and the St. Mark’s community to design a new Memorial Classroom on the site of the former Kennerly School, a two-room structure that served the African American families of the town during segregation.
“We’re excited to see what the semester brings. The idea is that maybe each semester and each town is about a set of outcomes, and that over the semesters and years, there’s a body of work that adds up to something more than the sum of its parts,” said Jones.
Partners and stakeholders for the spring semester include
- Town of Pocahontas
- Historic Pocahontas Inc.
- Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- Virginia Department of Energy
- Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center
- Roberson Project, Sewanee: The University of the South
The dedication of faculty in the School of Architecture to provide transformational learning experiences for all students, regardless of financial ability, echoes the university’s priority to do the same through Virginia Tech Advantage, a universitywide, multiyear commitment to offer a broad educational experience to undergraduate students from Virginia who have financial need.
