Second-year students in the Ball State architecture program participated in the annual competition sponsored by the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association (IHLA). As part of the competition, IHLA provides funding for site visits and student scholarships, giving students valuable opportunities to explore the hardwood industry firsthand.

This year, students visited Graber Lumber Mill in Spencerville, Indiana to learn more about lumber production and the properties of hardwood materials. The competition prompt challenged students to design a furniture design center, encouraging them to think creatively about how wood can shape both function and experience within a space.

Over several weeks, students study the characteristics of wood and explored its design potential, developing innovative approaches for incorporating wood into their projects. The experience combines hands-on learning, material research, and architectural design in a way that connects classroom concepts to real-world applications.

COMPETITION WINNERS

1st Place – Reed Pierce – $1500
FLEXUS
This project explores how material behavior can shape both form and experience through the intentional warping of wood, paired with exposed glass and a visible truss system. Rather than treating wood as rigid and fixed, the design works with its natural tendency to bend. Warping becomes a controlled process, guided by grain direction, thickness, and moisture, producing forms that feel responsive rather than imposed.

2nd Place – Riverton Ross – $1300
KINETICISM
Energy is the catalyst of furniture: the oscillation between potential and kinetic energy is expelled throughout its cycle, from sculptor to user. While traversing form reminiscent of a rippled, distorted ottoman, Kineticism synthesizes the production and observation of furniture design. Moreover, this design aims to preserve Shoaff Park’s existing structures while offering a space for Fort Wayne’s residents to learn and convene, employment opportunities, and improved circulation between the park’s playground and Conklin Pavillion.

3rd Place – Dylan Lehrman – $1000
PIECE BY PIECE
Piece by Piece is a space designed to bring people together through making and learning. Inspired by the way individual components come together to form a cohesive whole, much like pieces of furniture, the project explores connection through craft. Visitors are invited to engage with a range of programs, including fabrication workshops and studio spaces, where they can both observe and create.

Honorable Mention – Mario Orta – $300
Honorable Mention – Collin Allen – $300
Honorable Mention – Grace Carlin – $300
Interesting Concept – Kerrigan Lichtsinn -$100
Excellent Model – Hunter Broomall – $100
Excellent Poster – Abby Sollenberger – $100