UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE STUDENT TEAM WINS HUD 2016 INNOVATION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPETITION

AUSTIN, TX—April 25, 2016— A team of graduate students from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture has won the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) third annual Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The team was one of the four finalist teams to develop a plan to redevelop a public housing project, Monteria Village, in Santa Barbara, California. 

Students Sarah Simpson, Brett Clark, Megan Recher, Brianna Garner Frey, and Tatum Lau presented their final project on April 19 at HUD headquarters in Washington, DC, and took home the win, beating teams from the University of Kansas, Harvard University, and the University of Maryland at College Park.

“It’s amazing to watch our next generation create a plan for the future of affordable housing in a way that helps low-income families become self-sufficient,” said Katherine O’Regan, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “As we celebrate the third year of this competition, our hope is to continue this creative and forward thinking when it comes to affordable housing.”

HUD and the Santa Barbara Housing Authority challenged the teams to consider the complex challenges associated with rehabbing the current structure or demolishing it and creating new construction. Participants had to consider design, community development, and financing elements in order to provide an all-encompassing plan and solution that would allow the housing authority to meet its goal of offering safe and sustainable affordable housing. Students also needed to understand the needs of the intended residents, the zoning restrictions, and leveraging opportunities.

The UT School of Architecture team will receive a $20,000 award for their first-place win. The competition jurors praised the team members for their sophisticated site plan that connects homes and social space. The team also received very high marks for their water conservation plans and their plans to include an education center which will provide school and job training to address the needs of the community.

The UTSOA team was advised by professors Elizabeth Mueller, Jake Wegmann, Dean Almy, and Simon Atkinson.