February 13, 2025

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Design challenge showcased students’ skills

Interior design students from Purdue University and Ball State University earned high marks after participating in a challenge that celebrated the impact of Habitat for Humanity on the communities they serve.

Interior design students participated in a challenge benefiting Habitat for Humanity and partnered with the Indiana Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. From right to left (standing): Ball State University instructors Tony Elliott and Reza Ahmad, Paige Zoran, Amber Scott, and Isabelle Copeland. From Left to right (sitting): Jack Son, BSU instructor, Lauren Cloonan, Ethan Lee and Emily Scully.

In the challenge partnered with the Indiana Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, the students were tasked with designing a floorplan that accommodates a post and beam. The floorplan came from a Habitat for Humanity home built in Lafayette, which allowed the Purdue students the opportunity to visit the site in person as they developed their plans.

The awards ceremony was held April 21 at the new Hub & Spoke facility in Fishers, Ind.

Laura Bittner, interior design professor at Purdue University, recently accepted an award for Purdue student Katlyn Griffin, who won first place and named best overall state winner in a design challenge benefitting Habitat for Humanity. Griffin could not attend the event, held in Fishers, Ind., in April. Pictured at left, Susan Benedict, of Design Alternatives, and president of the Indiana Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, a host of the design challenge.

Katlyn Griffin, a Purdue University student, earned a first-place prize and was named the overall state winner for her design. Ball State University student Amber Scott also won first place for her plan. Griffin was unable to attend the event, but her award was accepted by Purdue University interior design professor Laura Bittner.

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Amber Scott, right, an interior design student at Ball State University, recently won first place in a design challenge to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The challenge including designing a layout that addresses a post and beam cutting through a floorplan. Pictured at left, Susan Benedict, of Design Alternatives, and president of the Indiana Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, a host of the awards event.

Real world challenges presented the design students the chance to challenge themselves when designing around obstacles.

“Students crave real world experience,” said Susan Benedict, president of the Indiana Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. “There is something very powerful about seeing a space you have drawn on paper and getting to stand in the actual room to challenge your own thought process.”