The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation, HomeAdvisor and the National Building Museum today announced the Making Room: Housing for a Changing America Student Design Competition.
The competition, open for submissions through April 13, challenges students who attend colleges and universities in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. regions to design a living space for a retired couple that is flexible, employs universal design concepts and has a budget of $50,000 or less. The first, second and third place winners will receive scholarships and have their work featured at the National Building Museum.
“At ASID we believe that design impacts lives. As an association that represents the design industry among designers of all specialties and career stages, we are proud to support the Making Room: Housing for a Changing America Student Design Competition,” said Randy Fiser, Hon. FASID, CEO, ASID. “The students who enter the competition represent the future of our profession and will need to employ universal design and evidence-based design principles as they enter the workforce. This is a great opportunity for students to practice real world design before graduation.”
Making Room: Housing for a Changing America, an exhibition currently on view at the National Building Museum through September, focuses on the mismatch between the diversity of our homes and the homogeneity of our housing. The exhibition’s centerpiece, The Open House, features a hyper-efficient layout, movable walls and multifunctional furniture. The flexible space addresses the needs of three prototypical households: roommates, the multi-generational family and retirees looking to downsize.
The American Society of Interior Designers Foundation, HomeAdvisor and the National Building Museum challenge students to create an affordable design solution for a retired couple, or a retired couple and caretaker, looking to remain in their 1,000 square-foot home and age-in-place. The design should embrace the same goals of flexibility and seamless universal design incorporated in The Open House.
“We’re excited to present even more options and ideas for how seniors can downsize at an affordable price point,” said Chrysanthe Broikos, architectural historian and curator of the exhibit. “It is our hope that the submissions from our student competitors will provide inspiration and a new perspective on flexible, affordable housing alternatives for seniors.”
For more details on the competition, visit www.asid.org.
