Marfa is known worldwide for its art scene, creative energy, and natural landscapes. Students focused on three properties: two adjacent sites near the town center that include a one-story commercial building and a traditional adobe farmhouse with a large backyard, and a separate open lot six blocks away. Over the semester, students gathered data, studied design precedents, and held a focus group design charrette with community members.

Working in teams, students proposed a range of strategies: a central plaza with amphitheater seating and native landscaping; modular structures for student housing, artist studios, or educational use; outdoor classrooms and shaded areas for nearby schools; pollinator gardens and trail connections to improve ecological and physical access between sites; and wayfinding features with integrated art reflecting Marfa’s identity. Some designs also incorporated references to the Marfa Lights, explored opportunities to bring Aggie Spirit to the town, and honored the local history through adaptive reuse and historic preservation.

Each group explored different ways to combine housing, public space, and community-oriented programming on a compact footprint. While the approaches varied, the proposals shared a common goal: to create meaningful spaces that could serve both everyday needs and Marfa’s broader cultural life.