Student Design & Planning Competition

Announcing the Winners of the 2024 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Team 362 = Harvard University
Runner-Up: Team 369 = The University California, Berkeley (Blue Team)

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the competition

Final Four Teams for the 2024 IAH Competition:

• Team 359 = University of Maryland at College Park
• Team 362 = Harvard Graduate School of Design
• Team 369 = University of California, Berkeley (Blue Team)
• Team 370 = University of California, Berkeley (Gold Team)

All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in the 2024 competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

Announcing the Winners of the 2023 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Team 293 = The University of Illinois at Chicago
Runner-Up: Team 302 = The University of Texas at Austin

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the competition

Final Four Teams for the 2023 IAH Competition:

• Team 292 = University of Maryland at College Park
• Team 293 = University of Illinois Chicago
• Team 298 = Harvard Graduate School of Design
• Team 302 = University of Texas at Austin

All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in the 2023 competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

Announcing the Winners of the 2022 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Team #269, University of Maryland Team, University of Maryland
Runner-Up: Team #260, UC Berkeley Team Gold, University of California Berkeley

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the competition

Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2022 IAH Competition!

• Team #259 – Team Oski, University of California Berkeley
• Team #260 – UC Berkeley Team Gold, University of California Berkeley
• Team #269 – University of Maryland Team, University of Maryland
• Team #279 – Team KU 1, University of Kansas

All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in Phase I of this competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: University of Maryland Team, University of Maryland | Second-Place: UC Berkeley Team Gold, University of California Berkeley

Announcing the Winners of the 2021 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Pratt Institute and New York University
Runner-Up: University of Michigan and Harvard University

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all of the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the competition

Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2021 IAH Competition!

• Team #218 – University of Michigan & Harvard University
• Team #228 – Pratt Institute & New York University
• Team #230 – Columbia University
• Team #246 – University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in Phase I of this competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: Pratt Institute and New York University | Second-Place: University of Michigan and Harvard University

Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Yale University
Runner-Up: University of Maryland, College Park

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all of the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the recorded webcast.

Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2020 IAH Competition!

• Team #180 – University of Maryland, College Park
• Team #184 – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Team #187 – University of California-Berkeley
• Team #207 – Yale University

All submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel of industry experts in a blind review.

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in Phase I of this competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: Yale University | Runner-Up: University of Maryland, College Park

Announcing the Winners of the 2019 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: University of Maryland, College Park
Runner-Up: University of California, Berkeley

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all of the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

Watch the recorded webcast.

Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2019 IAH Competition!

• Team 26: Virginia Tech
• Team 36: University of Maryland
• Team 55: University of California Berkeley
• Team 64: Yale University

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in Phase I of this competition, and congratulations to our four finalists!

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: University of Maryland, College Park | Second-Place: University of California, Berkeley

Announcing the Winners of the 2018 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: University of Maryland, College Park
Runner-Up: University of Colorado, Denver

Congratulations to the winning teams and to all of the finalists for their hard work and innovative solutions!

View the full video of the competition

View photos from the event

Announcing the Final Four Teams for the 2018 IAH Competition!

• Team 22: University of Maryland
• Team 44: University of Colorado Denver
• Team 62: University of Texas at Austin
• Team 71: Pratt Institute

Thank you to all teams that participated in this year’s IAH Competition, and congratulations to the final four teams! We look forward to seeing the innovative Phase II solutions in Washington, D.C.

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: University of Maryland, College Park | Second-Place: University of Colorado, Denver

Announcing the Winners of the 2017 HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: Rutgers University
Runner-Up: University of Michigan

Congratulations to the winners, and to all the members of the final four teams on their outstanding solutions!

View the full video of the competition

Announcing the Finalists for the 2017 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition:

• Team 17 - University of Michigan
• Team 55 - Yale University
• Team 61 - Rutgers University
• Team 71 - New York University/Columbia University

Thank you to all the teams that participated in this year’s competition, and congratulations to the finalists! Read the full announcement.

About the Site

The site for the 2017 IAH Competition is Woodhill Homes, a 478-unit multifamily property located in Cleveland, Ohio that is owned and operated by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: Rutgers University | Second-Place: University of Michigan

Announcing the Winners of the 2016 HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition

First Place: University of Texas at Austin
Runner-Up: University of Maryland

Congratulations to the winners, and to all the members of the final four teams on their outstanding solutions!

View the full video of the competition

View photos from the event

Announcing the Finalists for the 2016 Innovation in Affordable Housing Competition:

• Team 61 - University of Maryland
• Team 24 - University of Kansas
• Team 80 - Harvard University
• Team 71 - Team 18 - University of Texas at Austin

Thank you to all the teams that participated in this year’s competition, and congratulations to the finalists! Read the full announcement.

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: University of Texas at Austin | Second-Place: University of Maryland

HUD Announces the Winner of the 2015 IAH Competition

The graduate student team from New York University (NYU) is the winner of HUD’s second annual Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The NYU team developed a plan for the redevelopment of a senior affordable housing high-rise in Houma, Louisiana. HUD also announced a team from UCLA as the runner up.

“These bright minds represent the next generation of designers and planners who will produce tomorrow’s affordable housing,” said Katherine O’Regan, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “It’s our hope that this competition will excite new creative thinking about how to look at affordable housing.”

Thank you to all of the teams that participated in this year’s competition, and congratulations to the winners!

Read the press release.

View project highlights from the winning submissions

• First-Place: New York University (NYU) | Second-Place: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Event Recap: 2015 IAH Final Four Jury and Awards Presentation

• If you were unable to attend the event, the webcast in its entirety is now available online. You can watch the four finalists present their innovative solutions, hear the teams respond to questions asked by the jury, and see the exciting conclusion of the competition as Assistant Secretary of HUD Policy Development and Research (PD&R) presents the awards to the first- and second-place teams! Watch the webcast here.
• View photos from the event.

Student Finalists Participate in Site Visit to New Orleans, LA

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On Wednesday, March 18, 2015, the four finalist teams competing in the 2015 Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Completion, gathered in New Orleans, LA for a visit to the competition site. After a stunning drive into Bayou Country southwest of NOLA, the teams were graciously hosted by Wayne Thibodeaux, Executive Director of the Houma Terrebonne Housing Authority and his staff.

Settling into a meeting room at Bayou Towers after coffee, doughnuts, and local snacks, the teams had the opportunity to hear from representatives from HUD headquarters, HUD’s New Orleans Field Office, the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Terrebonne Council on Aging, and the Golden Agers Resident Council. In the afternoon, the group was taken on a two-hour tour of the City of Houma, stopping at various new and planned housing developments, a senior center, and local sites. Wrapping up the day, competitors were guided through an extensive tour of the existing building, led by the Bayou Towers’ Asset Manager and Maintenance Supervisor, which included viewing several apartments as well as the mechanical rooms.

The trip provided significant insight into the community, the population served, and the challenges to be met. All parties are looking forward to the Final Four Jury and Award Presentation next month in Washington, DC.

Many thanks to all who contributed to making this site visit such an overwhelming success.

Read the article published in Houma Today http://www.houmatoday.com/article/2015150319605?tc=ar

HUD Announces Winner in Student Design and Planning Competition

The graduate student team from Ohio State University is the winner of HUD’s inaugural Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The competition challenged students to create a plan for the development of a Revolutionary War-era structure in Bergen County, New Jersey into new permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans. HUD selected a collaborative team from New York University and Columbia University as runner up.

At the Final Four Jury and Awards Presentation on May 6, 2014, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan stated, “Too often, the contributions of young people are viewed through the prism of the future. But these young minds are demonstrating they can make a real and meaningful difference in the here and now. By developing key partnerships in their planning process, they’ve shown there is room for innovation in the nation’s affordable housing movement that can inspire us all.”

Read the press release and view event photos.

View project highlights from the winning submissions:

The Ohio State University | New York University/Columbia University

HUD PD&R would like to extend a special thanks to the Housing Authority of Bergen County (HABC), the Housing Development Corporation of Bergen County (HDC), and the American Legion, for their participation in the competition.

Student Finalists Participate in Site Visit to Emerson, New Jersey

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On March 26, 2014, the four student finalist teams traveled to Emerson, New Jersey, to visit the project site. The site visit provided a valuable opportunity for students to walk through the site, study its topography, and see the surrounding neighborhood. Students were also able to see the American Legion building’s historic elements firsthand, including the original house built in 1770, which now serves as the kitchen.

The site visit also served as an opportunity to discuss the second phase of the competition, in which the finalists will be asked to further refine their plans and innovative solutions for the project site. Finalists will present their plans at HUD’s Washington, DC headquarters on May 6, 2014, where the jury will make its final selection of the winner and runner-up teams. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan will announce the winners at the event.

Congratulations to the 2014 HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition Finalists

Graduate student teams from the New York University/Columbia University, New York University, University of Michigan, and the Ohio State University will compete in the final phase of the inaugural Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The four teams will make their proposals for development of veterans affordable housing in Emerson, New Jersey on May 6 at HUD Headquarters.

Read the press release here.