A South Forty is devoted to the vibrant, distinctive contemporary architecture and design practices of the American South. Modern architectural history in the regional context of the American South is conventionally framed by singular figures, from Paul Rudolph and the Saratoga School of Florida to Fay Jones and Bruce Goff in the Ozarks and Oklahoma, or stereotypical typologies and appearances. In counterpoint, A South Forty aims to provide an overview of the current vitality of contemporary architecture and design in the American South, through both illustrated profiles of buildings and practices, and statements of principles and observations by those in practice in the region. 

The contemporary “story” centres on the development of architecture and design in the American South over the last generation (from 1990 forward) as the region undergoes rapid economic and population growth, withstands and recovers from multiple natural disasters, and discovers a more complex and diverse identity amidst the historical societal traditions and conventions. Such a mapping of the American South in these terms opens new and essential territories for work in architecture – more positive, empowering, engaged, sensitive and aware work altogether. The story is also one of place-based design, attentive to the necessities of climate, materials, labour, and purpose, but also attentive to overlooked or undervalued typologies, constituencies, and locales.

Among the featured firms are: Brooks + Scarpa, Chambless King Architects, Dake Wells Architecture, de leon & primmer architecture workshop, DEMX Architecture, Duvall Decker, Ecological Design Group, El Dorado / KSU Design + Make Studio, Frank Harmon Architect, in situ Studio (image shown), Ray Huff Architect, Katherine Hogan Architects, Marlon Blackwell Architects, Rural Studio (Auburn University), the University of Arkansas Community Design Center and Vines Architecture.