Growing by Design

2004: A Museum for the Ages  

Design studios are an immersive type of class where, typically, for an entire semester, a professor mentors a small group of students through hypothetical design problems that stress process and solution. The valuable experience provides Aggies a foray into design, problem-solving and understanding real-world conditions often without the pressure of capital and clients. 

In 2004, however, Texas A&M design students received a unique opportunity: a project intended for construction. The Cambodian Landmine Museum Relief Fund, a nonprofit that worked to rid Cambodia of landmines planted in the 1970s and 1980s during the country’s civil war, contacted Rogers with an exciting proposal. “They wanted plans for a complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia, consisting of a landmine museum, dormitories for child survivors of landmines and a small school,” she explained. “My sophomores spent a semester developing plans that suited the organization’s needs, but unfortunately, funding for construction was scarce.” 

After hosting fun runs, holding bake sales and selling t-shirts, the students brought a model and presentation boards to the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado in hopes of securing a benefactor to fund their designs. There, they met Tom Shadyac, director of Hollywood blockbusters “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Nutty Professor” and “Bruce Almighty,” and sold him on their vision. Shadyac wrote a check for the entire remaining goal, and the Landmine Museum was completed in 2007. It continues to serve the community today. 

Once again, Rogers and her students heeded the call. The Landmine Relief Fund, an American nonprofit that partners with The Together Farm, asked that Aggies design a concept for a teaching farm outside of Siem Reap. The benefits are twofold: locally grown produce won’t disappear if a border closes, and the profits circulate locally.  

Brooke Blazek ’25 and Olivia Gouveia ’25, freshmen in the Department of Architecture, created a concept that includes a small visitor center, a distribution building, temporary housing for small groups of agricultural students and a home for the farm’s manager. Their design was chosen based on criteria including consideration of the users and the climate and an understanding of Southeast Asian vernacular architecture. The design complimented netted gardens, a hydroponic greenhouse and a mushroom house already on site. 

“I loved every bit of this project,” Blazek said. “It was challenging, but it made me excited for what the future holds.” Echoing her sentiments, Gouveia added, “My favorite part was how real it was. I enjoyed interacting with clients and meeting their needs.” 
 

2050: A Brighter Cambodia  

Upon completion, the teaching farm will operate as a laboratory where Cambodian university students and local villagers can learn farming techniques. Saiy Mout, a graduate of the Royal University of Agriculture, will manage the farm and develop agricultural solutions to be tested there.  

Acknowledging that many past humanitarian efforts in Cambodia have failed when their foreign staffers went home, leaving operations to crumble without skilled oversight, the Landmine Relief Fund and The Together Farm are investing in local Cambodians like Mout to ensure long-term success. 

Both the 2004 and 2021 collaborations with Aggies created meaningful real-world experiences for students and enabled Cambodians to gain more agency for their country’s future. “We don’t want to make money; we want to teach people how to do it for themselves,” said Bill Morse, president and CEO of the Landmine Relief Fund. “The buildings that Aggies designed are helping us do just that.” 

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