On Friday, January 24, at 11:30 a.m., students in a drafting class at Washington High School in Washington, NC, who did not have access to computers at home, received free desktop computers, loaded with Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, thanks to “Project BauHow,” a new educational initiative conceived of and sponsored by North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and archiving Modernist design across the state.

George Smart, founder and director of NCMH, delivered the computers to David Dixon, the drafting class teacher, and his 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, Dixon and other drafting teachers agree to require their students to design Modernist houses then submit those designs to the Student category of NCMH’s annual George Matsumoto Prize, a competition recognizing excellence in Modernist residential design. The winner of the competition will receive a full scholarship to North Carolina State University’s Design Camp this summer.

The Washington donation, worth $5000 and sponsored by Smart Homes + Business of Greenville, marks the third time NCMH has donated computers to high school drafting classes. The first recipient, in September of 2013, was Rolesville High in Rolesville, NC. The second set of computers went to McMichael High in Mayodan, NC, in December.

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.