ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a fortuitous trio of collaborations at the University of Arizona that led from a research idea to full-scale improvisation in a design-build studio, and then to significant applications in impoverished Native American and Latino communities. In the case of the Hughes residence, community members sought out an earthen technology for home building and were willing research subjects. By integrating teaching and service within a research agenda, the time and resources necessary for all can be spent to shape outcomes that are mutually beneficial to the professor, student, and community. As an act of ethical professional practice, the refinement of an inexpensive way to use a valuable material in affordable housing is justified. The educator must review the project’s priorities against the objectives for teaching, the research agenda, and the community needs, and adjust the goals and expectations of the involved parties to fairly balance the outcomes.
