Tulane architecture students participate in hands-on learning by building a house they designed. (Photos from the School of Architecture)

Getting an education at Tulane University takes students well beyond the uptown campus. At the School of Architecture, the classroom stretches to New Orleans' central city, where students are constructing a house they designed at 2856 Dryades St.

"This is not just about making a home. This is about making a city," says Byron Mouton, professor of practice in architecture who directs the URBANbuild 2 project.

The first URBANbuild house, located at 1930 Dumaine St. in the Treme neighborhood, was completed by students and sold earlier this year to a New Orleans police officer. House No. 2 is now 75 percent complete with from four to five weeks of work left to do, Mouton says.

Mouton is architect of record for URBANbuild 2, a project being built under contract for Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, which provides the funds for the construction. The School of Architecture uses a U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant to cover faculty salaries and purchase equipment needed for the work.

But eight fourth-year architecture students in Mouton's design studio class designed the house and made the necessary construction documents. Another eight to 10 students are now working on the 15-week construction project, along with part-time help from younger architecture students and another student "not even in architecture," he adds.

At the house site, students are doing everything except work needed from licensed subcontractors such as plumbers and electricians. They dug the foundation, laid the piers and did the framing and roofing. They will be installing all doors, windows and cabinets, as well as doing the finish work and painting.

"A lot of people think it's good to learn to build a house," Mouton says, but that really is the least important part of the program. In architecture, students usually "do one project at a time, alone." With UrbanBuild, they work as a team, learning professional skills in diplomacy and negotiating. They learn how to deal with subcontractors and city inspectors and see how their designs and drawings lead to production. They are aware of the construction budget and "they are forced to be inventive, within limits."

Helping them along the way is Sam Richards, manager of the architecture shop and a local craftsman who teaches the building skills students need. "He's an incredible problem-solver," Mouton says. While Mouton directs the design/build portion of the architecture program, colleague Ila Berman, associate professor, directs the urban studies portion.

Students also learn about New Orleans neighborhoods and residents who are still recovering from Katrina's devastation. They earn class credit as well as internship hours for their hard work.

"I'm impressed by the students," Mouton adds. "Sam and I drive them pretty hard. They do a good job of being self-critical," inspecting their work and doing it over when they're not satisfied with the results.

When the work is complete, Neighborhood Housing Services will see that the house is sold to a neighborhood resident. Additional URBANbuild projects are planned in the future.