2025 High School Design Challenge Announced

AIA New Hampshire Announces the 2025 High School Design Challenge: We Need Housing!

New Hampshire has a shortage of housing for all demographics, but particularly young individuals and families. The housing supply is limited but housing demand is on the rise, making it more expensive than ever to buy and even rent a home. And on top of that, global warming and the cost of utilities has made it more expensive to build, maintain and operate a home. We can’t afford to keep eliminating natural resources and habitats. Our environment is critical to helping offset global warming. Our forests and landscapes need to be preserved. So, what can we do?

This year’s challenge is to develop Phase I of a small community, or neighborhood, with the goals of affordability, sustainability, and livability. This concept has been around for decades; sometimes referred to as “Cohousing”. Create a place where people can share resources, share spaces, socialize, feel safe, work together, live together, thrive together.

Design projects will be reviewed by a panel of architects and/or emerging design professionals.

Winning projects will be awarded cash prizes ($500-1,000).

Participation Requirements:

Every participant must be a current high school student in the state of New Hampshire or any high school student who is a resident of New Hampshire. Students may work individually or in teams. Teams may not consist of more than three students. 

Students are registered by their instructors or a school mentor who will oversee the student project.

Deadlines:

January 10 - Register for the challenge
January 13 - Students may begin working on the challenge
March 14 - Project submissions are due
April tbd - Awards event (details forthcoming)

For all the details on the challenge and how to register, please download this Design Challenge Brief.