Sprout: Propogating Rural Innovation
In Harmony Farms
2025

This project documents a collaborative digital fabrication project between an academic lab and non-profit to fabricate shading and seating for farm visitors. In Harmony Farms is a rural farming non-profit dedicated to regenerative agriculture, public education, and equitable land access in Iowa. In this project, computational design and digital fabrication serve as a connection between academia, practice and community outreach fostering discussion of how limited resources can be leveraged for novel design methods in rural communities.

Research Portfolio:

FACULTY
Shelby Elizabeth Doyle, AIA LEED AP
Associate Professor of Architecture
Stan G. Thurston Professor of Design Build College of Design

DESIGN AND FABRICATION
DSNS 5460 is an interdisciplinary design studio in the College of Design. Students from three departments and five-degree programs collaborated to design and construct this work:

Bachelor of Architecture: Hao My Cao, William Franson, James Greenwood, Tam Thanh Truc Nguyen, Whitney Walkup Master of Architecture: Ekra Alberunee, Neda Kordbacheh, Rawya Osman, Adrian Saari, Smita Sabnam, Kendra Schulz Bachelor of Landscape Architecture: Tyler Gehrels, Neifer Ralston Bachelor of Industrial Design: Jax Bukalski, Boluwarin Ojo Master of Science in Architecture: Shivang Patel

The students in DSNS 5460 also collaborated with Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering students conducting Independent Studies on additive manufacturing (3D printing). Thank you to Professor Simon Laflamme, Miguel Zelaya, Han Liu, Jozepha Soborowicz, Moneef Mohamed Elobaid Musa, and Pushp Raj Poudel.

STUDIO FUNDING
This studio was made possible by financial support from the Fieldstead & Company Endowment for Community Enhancement Fund, Curriculum-Based Design Outreach Fund, ISU College of Design, ISU Department of Architecture, and the Stan G. Thurston Professorship.

THANK YOU
Many people made this project possible through generously sharing their time and expertise. Thank you to OPN Architects Inc’s Digital Practice Group (Holden Rasmussen, Jacob Gasper, Hugh Soward, and Jamie Craine) for conducting an augmented reality workshop, Brian Lee (ISU BArch) and assistant professor of architecture at Kanas State University for leading a plasma CNC workshop, and Howe's Welding & Metal Fabrication for providing access to rebar bending equipment. Thank you to Hansen Company Inc for volunteering their time, expertise, and skid loader to help us with installation. Thank you to Quarra Stone Company for the tour of their digital fabrication facilities and the donation of stone for use in the project. Thank you also to our lab manager Dayon Roster, the ISU Department of Architecture and College of Design staff, and ISU College of Design Institute of Research and Outreach staff for their support. This studio would not have been possible without ISU Transportation Services and ISU Central Receiving. 

RESEARCH FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT
The 3D printing technology used in this studio was developed through several research grants and the work of many people from 2021-present. This includes financial support from the ISU College of Design, ISU Department of Architecture, Stan G. Thurston Professorship, and grants from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (Pete Evans and Julie Robison), American Restoration and Recovery Act (Pete Evans, Shelby Doyle, Nick Senske, Chengde Wu), The University of Iowa Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research (Shelby Doyle and Chengde Wu), BNIM Regenerative Design Challenge 2023 (Shelby Doyle, Pete Evans, Nick Senske, Chengde Wu), and an industry partnership with OPN Architects Inc’s Digital Practice Group (Shelby Doyle with Jacob Gasper, Hugh Soward, and Jamie Craine).