Stevenson High School architecture students place among Top 10 in North America

Two Stevenson High School architecture students have had their drawings named among the Top 10 best designs in North America.

Seniors Devyn McNaughton and Felina Koring earned two of the top spots in the Self-Sustaining Dream Home Architecture contest, sponsored by The CAD Academy.

“Devyn and Felina worked countless hours after school and on weekends to complete their dream homes,” Stevenson teacher Mike Garcia. “They should be extremely proud of their efforts, the quality of their work and having a top ten design in North America.”

To participate, the contest participants had to create drawings that met compliance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. Nearly 500 students from across the United States and Canada submitted their designs.

LEED is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. LEED certification means healthier, more productive places, reduced stress on the environment by encouraging energy and resource efficient buildings, and savings from increased building value, higher lease rates and decreased utility costs.

To receive LEED certification, architecture projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. Currently, 88 of the Fortune 100 companies are already using LEED.

Entrees were judged by uniqueness and originality, impact on the environment, benefit to society or benefit to individuals, viability (does the design work), completeness and accuracy, the possibility of going to market and a written statement.

Students also submitted a short statement about what they learned from completing the project.

McNaughton and Koring also submitted their work into the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society competition, which will take place the first week in May.