Design Challenge

Westminster Village Residents Pleased by Students' Progress

By Anne Marie Yarbrough
THiNK Magazine

Residents at Westminster Village look forward to seeing the designs that sophomore interior design students from Purdue have created for their community.

Over the past few weeks, the students have been working to redesign apartments and the Village Square meeting area at Westminster. They have collaborated with residents to ensure that all needs and concerns are taken into consideration for their design.

“They seemed that they really, really wanted to do a good job, and they really talked to us about what we thought,” Westminster Village resident Dianne Smith said. “They listened to us, and I noticed they incorporated some of those things into their designs.”

On Feb, 24, Westminster residents visited the students at Yue-Kong Pao Hall on Purdue’s campus to see how their design plans were progressing. The students showed them 3D renderings that they designed with Revit, a software program used by professional interior designers. This gave the residents an opportunity to see what the new apartments might look like, as well as discuss what worked and what could be improved.

The residents were impressed by the students design concepts, adding that some of the design features exceeded their expectations.

“A bathroom with no bathtub — I loved that,” said Westminster Village resident Susan Nesbitt. “I loved the open concept. … and they had some nice, innovative things in the kitchen, which I think most people here don’t even know exist. I loved what they did with the ceiling.”

It will soon be up to the residents at Westminster Village to evaluate the designs and choose one as the winner, so it’s important that the students incorporate as many of the residents’ needs and desires into their projects as possible.

The student teams will present their completed projects to the residents at Westminster Village on Wednesday, March 4. In their five-minute presentations, the students will explain the concepts that inspired their design solutions, reveal their plans for the apartments and Village Square, and even provide materials samples that they suggest for these spaces.

Smith has a few key factors she will look for in a winning design.

“A winning design has the efficiency, the use of storage, the consideration of who is going to be living in this apartment, and what their needs are. It’s answering, ‘Does this space fit the needs of the person that’s going to live there, and can they do it in a way that is attractive?’ ”

We will soon learn which of the eight student teams answered that question most effectively.