Judson University architecture students among category winners at Shelter competition

Judson University Architecture students were among the category winners during the fifth annual Disaster Shelter Design Competition, which was held recently on the campus of John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Judson took a team of graduate students and juniors in the architecture program to the competition. The juniors won the "Best Presenter" award for best design and presentation. The graduate students served as an exhibition team.

The event, which was sponsored by Samaritan's Purse International Relief, included transitional build projects from nine different schools representing designs for possible use in global relief efforts.

This year's competition theme was based on the needs of displaced people and refugees currently fleeing to Albania and Macedonia from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Student-built shelters were required to be easily transported and constructed, large enough for a family of four, culturally appropriate, able to support a year or longer of transitional living and cost less than $1,500 to duplicate.

Judson University was one of the nine teams that submitted prototypes for rigorous durability tests. The on-site testing included earthquake sustainability, heat retention, overnight habitability and wind resistance. Other competing schools included: Dordt College (Sioux Center, Iowa), Pittsburg State University (Pittsburg, Kansas), Gyeongsang National University (Jinju, South Korea), Murray State University (Murray, Kentucky), University of Arkansas at Little Rock and John Brown University.

Samaritan's Purse provided each team with starter kits of boards, plastic sheeting, tools, nails, wire and corrugated galvanized iron. The teams were evaluated on their ability to design and construct emergency shelters using the materials.

Throughout the competition, the school teams had the opportunity to win individual events. Overall, they were scored not only on their shelter's performance on the individual events, but also on the presentations detailing their shelter's schematics, design and materials.

This is the fourth year that Judson teams have participated in this competition.