Second Year in Row: UMD Students Win HUD Competition!

For the second year in a row, a team of graduate students from the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation has won the Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The University of Maryland team took first place and the $20,000 top prize with its design for Brooklyn Bend, a mixed-use housing and retail development for low- and moderate-income residents located along San Antonio’s Riverwalk. Results were announced on April 18. This win marks the School's third time being selected as one of the six-year old competition's finalists.

(From left to right) HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Andrew Mazer, Casey Huntington, Lauren Stamm, Nyasha Mandima and Kyle Huck.

The team members included Kyle Huck (M.ARCH, MRED), Casey Huntington (M.ARCH, MRED), Lauren Stamm (M.C.P.), Nyasha Mandima (MRED) and Andrew Mazer (M.ARCH). Maria Day-Marshall, Director, Real Estate Development Program, and Bonstra Haresign's Robert McClennan, AIA, served as the team's advisers.

"Our students did a superb job,” said Maria Day- Marshall. “Their success is a reflection of the quality of the programs and the students, and the interdisciplinary nature of the School. The team had a strong financial package, beautiful and sustainable design and displayed outstanding presentation skills. To have won this competition two years in a row solidifies the University of Maryland’s place as a leader in education in affordable housing.”