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There were so many “best parts” to this experience in Bluff. One, we got to see our classmates change, grow, and become better friends. And we saw it in ourselves. Two, we saw a project come to complete fruition – something that started as a thought, a sketch, become a reality, which doesn’t happen often in school. Design Build BLUFF is one of very few true collaborative experiences, in school or anywhere. It’s very rare to see a completed thing which has had so many builders, designers, and craftspersons. Even beyond our 2010 Bluff class, visitors, family, and friends also played big role in completing this project. One of the more difficult lessons was realizing the beauty in this type of collage instead of focusing on a tight, single-minded design. Seeing the result of twenty different design intentions is really wonderful. The culture and landscape of Bluff is another “best part”. The colors of the cliff faces changed every day, the view of monument valley astounded me every drive home, and the Scorup property was a beautiful combination of serenity and utter chaos. And I think the really important thing is how you leave Bluff – how you will think about foundations differently because you dug them, poured them, and finished them. How you’ll think about details and connections differently because you figured out how to make them work in full scale with real materials; and how you’ll think about clients differently because you worked alongside one, hearing her story while applying native clay plaster to the walls she’ll eventually reside in. And how you’ll think about architecture differently because standing outside in the blowing sand and 90 degree heat while trying to get a gutter to go straight is so much more meaningful as well as enjoyable than drawing another section in CAD.
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Lindsay Neemann
