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.

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.
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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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.”
Students considered older-style windows with corded side weights, multiple beam and floor joist systems, HVAC renovations, crawl space access and plumbing revisions. The design also incorporated the completion of two additional bedrooms to the house’s footprint and the technique of finding a stud in a plaster wall.
“We need to spike the next generation’s interest in creative design through engagement, mentorship and technology,” said Sandi Perlman, a professor at IUPUI and past president of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. “These students will design the future. They have the creativity; we just need to show them the possibilities.”
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Winning designs will be on display in Habitat for Humanity offices, a Habitat ReStore or new homes built in the city of the winning student’s choice, within the state of Indiana.
Habitat for Humanity, in all 50 states and around 70 countries, incorporates families in need of affordable and safe housing in the donated home’s construction.
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