Samantha Pires a graduated senior from NJ Institute of Technology took top honors in 2019 with her submission called “Sheltered.”

Samantha partnered with the non-profit homeless resources agency, The Help Center, to design a new kind of homeless shelter.  Her proposed building  leverages wood’s biophilic nature to make the residence feel at home, and that uses wood’s uniqueness as a design element to create a beautiful space that is wanted in the community in contrast to drab, industrial, concrete buildings.   Some of Samantha’s award-winning design boards are presented below.