Urban Studio Inspiring the Next Generation

Last month, Birmingham’s Red Mountain Community School (RMCS) visited Auburn in Birmingham for an exciting Friday architectural scavenger hunt and to learn more about architecture and the role of architects.

Local ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentor Program volunteers joined the Urban Studio team to lead small groups through downtown Birmingham. The scavenger hunt was designed to encourage students to look up, examine the façades of familiar buildings and match them with a checklist of architectural features.

Joining the ACE volunteers were fifth-year architecture students Laura Chavez, Tyler Layton and Han Li.

“It was refreshing and fun to see how students from different grades interacted with each other, forming complex relationships where they can learn together,” Layton explained. “I got to talk with the teacher and the kids about architecture and everyday things. I loved how the students were excited to look for every building.”

Before the groups headed out for their scavenger hunt, Director Alex Krumdieck ’86 took time to introduce them to the Urban Studio environment and discuss what it means to be an architect.

“Field trips are an important part of the Urban Studio’s commitment to our community,” Krumdieck said. “We use the city to connect with younger students, introduce them to architecture and hopefully inspire future architects. It’s essential to introduce kids to their built environments and help them appreciate the city they live in. There’s a richness you can only find when you look up.”

Exploration is a central element of Red Mountain Community School’s curriculum. The students regularly leave the classroom to explore their surroundings and integrate learning into their experiences. They recently visited Ebenezer Swamp and Ruffner Mountain’s wetland area to study wetlands, and they often take advantage of Birmingham’s many museums, including the Museum of Art, the Civil Rights Institute, Sloss Furnaces and the Negro Southern League Museum, all offering educational opportunities.

Architecture, however, is closer to the heart of the Red Mountain Community School educational methodology than one might expect. The school’s curriculum is based on educational philosopher Charlotte Mason’s teachings, which were inspired by the art and architecture essays of John Ruskin. Mason’s philosophy incorporates architecture from the earliest levels of education, and the school uses it to help foster the habit of attention.

“We loved our day at the Urban Studio! For our students, they become more familiar with their city, and they engage with professionals who care about the city and have ideas about how to increase its livability,” RMCS teacher Mandy Deter explained. “I loved the direction from the ACE team, the walk in the cold and the attention needed to look up and examine buildings we pass every day but often overlook.” She also noted that the following week, students began sketching buildings and details from memory.

ACE volunteers Dan Witteck from Black Design Architecture, Tim Anson from Gresham Smith and Kat Davis joined the students to lead teams on the scavenger hunt. The ACE Mentor Program is designed to introduce students to the many career opportunities available in the building design and construction industry.

Witteck and Anson have volunteered with ACE for over 10 years.

“I enjoy the opportunity to expose young minds to the design and construction industry in ways they would not typically experience in school,” Anson shared. “Each ACE session offers a chance to see students grasp a part of the ACE industry that may have seemed foreign to them at the start,” Witteck added.

One thing that impressed the volunteers was the students’ willingness to speak up, regardless of their grade level.

Anson shared, “Our group had three high schoolers and three younger students, either kindergarten or first grade. I was impressed by the younger students’ willingness to speak up and point out buildings they found during our search. The high schoolers were open to the younger students’ ideas and prepared to listen.”

Another RMCS teacher, Kelly Klehm, added, “When we visit places like the Urban Studio, students learn about potential areas of study and careers. Students are encouraged to notice—to look up when walking around downtown. They experience their city in a new way. One student in my class, a sixth grader, was interested in various drawings, models and tools on the second floor and said ‘I think I could be an architect.’”