Habitat for Humanity of Missoula (HfHM) is excited to announce it has won the Best in Affordability award for Habitat for Humanity International’s Home Design Contest.
The contest was available to all U.S. Habitat Affiliates, with 100 entries submitted. HfHM was one of just 13 entrants selected, a great honor. Categories included sustainability, accessibility, resiliency, and more.
“Our team strives to achieve the best in affordability; we carefully strategize space-efficient floor plans and energy-efficient envelopes. We want these homes to function well and the families to enjoy being home in an environment they can thrive in, so we take care to provide daylight and occupant comfort,” said Kate Geer, designer at A&E Architects, who partnered with HfHM for this project.
Winners were selected based off of their ability to demonstrate success in many of those categories, along with replicability of projects. Judges reviewed site plans as well as an online application detailing technical information about the home, neighborhood/community context, and why the project is unique.
“I’ve been so humbled to work with Habitat as we pursue affordable and safe homes for our Missoula community. It’s been a privilege to help design these homes that provide a safe place for families to thrive,” Geer said.
Winners were honored in a Zoom award ceremony in December. HfHM will receive a $2,000 award, which it will turn around and reinvest in its home-building program so the organization can continue to build sustainable, decent homes people can afford.
“Our national award-winning affordable home design is a win-win for our community. Not only is it fiscally responsible to offer homes affordable to Missoula’s workforce so they have opportunity at building capital, we also stand by their smaller footprint and energy-efficiency creating a win for our environment. I am so proud of the entire team who collaborated on this endeavor,” said Heather Harp, HfHM Executive Director.