By Adeney Zo
UCLA Luskin Student Writer

A team of UCLA Luskin and Architecture students took home a $10,000 prize as runner-ups in the US Department of Housing & Urban Development’s “Innovation in Affordable Housing” competition.

Each of the final four teams have been competing since November to present their design at the finalist event in Washington D.C. The UCLA team submitted a design for a senior high-rise focused on sustainability and healthcare solutions, adding innovative features such as a rooftop community garden and digital literacy intergenerational programming. According to the HUD’s press release, the jurors “felt that the team demonstrated a deep understanding of the senior population and its needs.”

After advancing to the finalist round in February, the four competing teams traveled to New Orleans to visit the Bayou Towers competition site and tour the surrounding city of Houma. With this site visit, they were able to visualize how their designs could potentially apply to the building, and gain a greater understanding of the community they were serving.

The presentation, judging, and award announcement took place on April 21, 2015 at the Final Four Jury and Award Presentation in Washington D.C. The UCLA team was composed of members Laura Krawczyk (MURP ‘15), Edith Medina Huarita (MPP ‘15), Precy Agtarap (MURP ‘15), John Whitcomb, and Luis Ochoa.