Grand Rapids Community College students address housing challenges in their community

Grand Rapids Community College students in the Sustainable Residential Design program were recently able to apply their education to a real life project with a significant community impact.

Assistant Professor Corri Sandwick is a business owner and architect who specializes in residential design. She uses these skills and focuses to work with affordable housing developers. When she saw an opportunity to partner with LINC UP to offer her students the chance to work through real world design challenges, she signed up.

LINC UP is a Michigan based organization that aims to empower local residents in the fostering of sustainable growth in the Grand Rapids area. The organization offers a range of services and programming to impact community engagement, economic opportunity, and address issues in housing, with the goal of creating lasting change for the people and neighborhoods of Grand Rapids. 

In an article about the collaboration, Professor Sandwick was quoted about how she came to partner with LINC UP, saying, “I met Shanika Gordon, Single Family Development Manager, when I attended a meeting at LINC UP. She shared her need to design small, affordable homes on unique lots, many of which have challenging constraints. We figured out a way for my students to help her with that goal.”

The Sustainable Residential Design program teaches students guidelines for planning and designing a home that meets various sustainability standards. The final project of the class for the past two years has been being involved in creating a home for LINC UP clients.

Professor Sandwick went on to say, “Our design brief this year included two sites in Grand Rapids on which LINC UP plans to build single family homes. The students could grapple with a design for either site, each of which had its own quirks and challenges.”

Participating students were informed about who LINC UP’s clients are, and then created an imaginary buyer vignette to build their presentation around. Not only do students have to comply with basic architectural principles and building codes, but they also were tasked with packing at least three strategies for sustainability into their designs, which were less than 1,000 sq. ft. Some of those strategies might have been low-flow water fixtures, rainwater collection systems, tankless water heaters, solar panels, wind turbines, or more similar ideas.

Professor Sandwick talked about the importance of sustainability in home design, saying, “Sustainability is a win-win. It respects our limited natural resources and helps minimize consumption. It also helps make home ownership more affordable by reducing energy usage and maintenance requirements.”

Gordon was present for the students’ presentations, given on the final day of class. She spoke highly about the work they did, saying, “Building small, affordable and sustainable homes is no easy task. I’m always looking for creative approaches and fresh ideas. The GRCC students in Corri’s class never fail to come up with clever ways to address our constraints. They really get into the spirit of the work by stepping into the shoes of our potential homeowners.”

Gordon went on to talk about the reality of the work the students have done, saying, “We have built two homes designed by GRCC students. One is sold and one is currently available. That’s an impressive achievement to put on a resume, and it’s also a meaningful contribution that stretches LINC UP’s design resources.”

More information about the mechanical and architectural design program at GRCC can be found on its webpage.

More information about Grand Rapids Community College can be found at the school’s website.