K.C. Kurtz's eyes glow at the sight of the plans unfurled on the table in front of him, even in the dimly lighted Mitch's Tavern across from N.C. State University. "Here's the row of windows that face south," he said. "Here's the brick wall inside to absorb the heat from the sun." He pointed to the living area of the tiny home. "And this space," he said, "will allow the wheelchair to make a full turn in the kitchen."

It's a modest home -- 1,192 square feet, with three bedrooms and two full baths. But this house plan is getting a lot of attention statewide.

Kurtz and four other students studying for their master's degrees in N.C. State University's architecture program recently took first place in a national competition held by the U.S. Green Building Council, a consortium of building industry groups dedicated to the concept of "sustainable" building -- designs and construction techniques that are environmentally sound and affordable at the same time.

The project grew out of an independent study course the students took with adjunct professor Randall Lanou. Aside from winning a national design competition, the students are also getting the chance to see something they designed go from plan to reality. Habitat for Humanity is building three houses based on the team's design in Orange, Chatham and Catawba counties. The Orange house, on Terrell Road in Hillsborough, is expected to be ready to move into this spring.

"That's one of the great benefits," said Lanou, who runs his own design firm in Durham. "They usually just see the plans. This time, the students get to see real steps being made. It's a great thing."

While the statewide competition involved only students, the national contest included entries from professional design firms. At the U.S. Greenbuild conference in Denver last fall, more than 13,000 participants saw the students' work, and the future architects from North Carolina ended up in a three-way tie for first place with two other teams, both professional firms from other parts of the country.

"That made the victory that much sweeter," said Susan Ungerleider, a team member. Because the national competition involved more than just house designs, with different states using different parameters, Kurtz described the victory as akin to winning "best in show" at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Strict parameters

The statewide competition was run by Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based nonprofit group that promotes energy efficiency and conservation. The goal was to draw attention to affordable environmentally friendly designs; competitors were asked to design structures within certain cost and environmental parameters. That's where the three-bedroom, two-full-bath concept at under 1,200 square feet comes in. And their materials budget? A measly $46 a square foot. That can compare with hundreds per square foot for custom-built homes.

There were other constraints as well. The students were designing for a fictional family: A single mother, a 14-year-old boy in a wheelchair and a 7-year-old girl with vision problems.

"It was a big challenge," Ungerleider said. "We couldn't use any stairs at all." Instead, a concrete ramp leads from the driveway to the home's side entrance.

The team wanted to make sure the design of the house would help integrate the kids into family life. In an ingenious touch, they designed a grocery shelf outside the front door so the son could put down the groceries while he opened the front door (with handles 30 inches high instead of the standard 32). The kitchen sink allows the wheelchair to roll underneath, and the son could assist with gardening by rolling on to a concrete patio slab outdoors.

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