On Friday, September 19, at 2:30 p.m., students in a Denise Renfro’s drafting class at Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, NC, who do not have access to computers at home will receive free desktop computers loaded with Computer Aided Design (CAD) software thanks to “Project BauHow,” a new educational initiative from North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH).

NCMH is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and archiving Modernist design across the state. George Smart, founder and director of NCMH, will present the computers to Renfro and her students.

Project BauHow (Bauhaus + Know How) is designed to inspire and accelerate learning in 9th and 10th grade high school drafting classes by increasing students’ access to computers, expanding the ability of drafting teachers to give homework, and encouraging and rewarding the study and creation of Modernist residential architecture.

“North Carolina high school drafting teachers generally can’t give drafting homework because up to 60 percent of high school students in the state don’t have a computer at home or one powerful enough to handle CAD software,” says Smart, who created the project. “That means skills practice in drafting classes can only progress during class time, severely limiting student learning through meaningful homework assignments and additional skill-building.”

In return for the donation, Renfro and other drafting teachers agree to require their students to design Modernist houses that will be submitted to the Student Category of NCMH’s annual George Matsumoto Prize, a competition recognizing excellence in Modernist residential design. The winner of the competition receives a full scholarship to North Carolina State University’s summer Design Camp.

The Fayetteville donation, worth $5000, is sponsored by Smart Homes + Business of Greenville.

For more details on Project BauHow, including photos and videos about the project, go to http://www.ncmodernist.org/bauhow.htm or contact George Smart: george@ncmodernist.org, 919-740-8407.