will provide a peaceful homelike setting to enhance the quality of living for ind

ividuals facing the last phases of life, and offer support to their loved ones. T
his excerpt from the OCHH brochure exemplifies the goals of their organization.
OCHH representatives presented an interior design studio with the opportunity to
provide prototypical designs for their proposed hospice home. This interdiscipl
inary project involved the interior design studio, a graduate interior design st
udent and a professor and student from materials engineering.
Through this community-based design project students got an opportunity to work
on a meaningful project as they learned about catering to the emotional and phys
ical needs of a special population. Interior design and engineering came togethe
r to collaborate on a project by sharing ideas, findings and experiences. Studen
ts also had the opportunity to communicate with a client and receive feedback as
they catered to the needs of the organization. The project exemplified the adva
ntages of incorporating community-based service-learning projects in design stud
ios and the need for interdiscplinary collaborations in higher education. The pa
per describes the project as a model for incorporating interdisciplinary service
-learning in design studios, and presents examples of student work.

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xx------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Our Community House of Hope (OCHH) "will provide a peaceful homelike setting to
enhance the quality of living for individuals facing the last phases of life, an
d offer support to their loved ones. This excerpt from the OCHH brochure exemplif
ies the goals of their organization. OCHH representatives presented our senior d
esign studio with the opportunity to provide prototypical designs for their prop
osed hospice home. A graduate class on Environmental psychology provided recomme
ndations for designers in the senior studio, derived from research papers and a
case-study. Students from the senior studio presented their designs to represent
atives from OCHH. Student projects were exhibited at a fund-raising banquet orga
nized by OCHH.
Through this community-based design project students got an opportunity to work
on a meaningful project as they learned about catering to the emotional and phys
ical needs of a special population. Graduate and undergraduate students came tog
ether to collaborate on a project by sharing ideas, findings and experiences. St
udents also had the opportunity to communicate with a client and receive feedbac
k as they catered to the needs of the organization. The project exemplified the
advantages of incorporating community-based service-learning projects in design
studios. The proposed presentation will describe the project, describe a model f
or incorporating service-learning in design studios, and present examples of stu
dent work including important design considerations for hospice homes.