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We need more architects in the country and Catherine Baker is leading the charge.
Baker is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and principal of Nowhere Collaborative, a firm that envisions big things for the small town of Boswell, Indiana, the self-proclaimed “hub of the universe.”
Baker serves the rural farming community from inside a repurposed school building that she shares with a wind turbine maintenance company, which, she believes could be a catalyst toward the town’s rebirth as a renewable energy hotspot. Baker is collaborating with locals to create short-term housing for incoming employees, artists and musicians.
“Nowhere Collaborative is shaping a different model for an architectural practice,” writes Anjulie Rao in ARCHITECT, “one that is embedded in the small, middle places that often lack the same types of attention or resources paid to other rural areas that benefit from proximity to natural beauty, historical preservation initiatives, or wealthy investors.”
Hopefully, Baker will inspire others to follow her lead. Small, struggling downtowns are ripe for reinvention, providing architects ample inspiration.
Rural communities also boast some of the most efficient buildings supported by clean-energy sources such as wind, solar and low-carbon propane.
