Calgary – With Calgary’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness entering its second year, the first year students of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary are adding their design skills to the “Housing First” focus of the Plan.

“Tapping into the minds of Calgary’s post-secondary students is a great way to develop creative, new ways of building affordable housing and help address challenges vulnerable Calgarians face,” says Tim Richter, President and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation. “I’m excited to see what the Schulich engineering students produce.”

Working from an integrated approach, where all aspects of the design from costing to sustainability are considered and applied, the first year engineering students have applied their design and engineering skills to preparing proposals and prototypes for affordable housing in Calgary.

More than 650 students collaborated on 24 designs, each of which had to take into account client needs, neighbourhood requirements and concerns, architectural integration with surrounding buildings and sustainable and green building practices and materials – and they had to do it on budget!

Marjan Eggermont, a senior instructor with Schulich, has been tracking student progress on the project blog: http://www.sixeightfour.blogspot.com, which provides students with design inspiration from both outside sources and other group’s work. The Calgary Homeless Foundation provided speakers to help students understand the challenges faced by those who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless.

“At the Schulich School of Engineering, we encourage students to get involved outside the classroom and use their skills and creativity to make a difference in the community,” says Marjan. “And the guest speakers provided invaluable insight, by giving the project a human face and inspiring students to design housing that also serve specific needs."

The designs will be revealed at the Design Open House on April 15, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon outside the MacEwan Hall first floor ballroom at the University of Calgary. The event will be an opportunity for students to present their affordable housing concepts and for guests to ask questions.