MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State University's Muncie Urban Design Studio has been honored nationally by having its three-bedroom affordable housing prototype chosen for a new online catalog.

The pioneering Internet-based program "Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing" features 77 case studies that were jury-selected from more than 300 nationwide submissions of outstanding affordable housing projects built in the United States during the past 20 years.

The online catalog at http://affordablehousing.aa.uic.edu was launched at this fall's Design Matters Symposium in Chicago. The program is sponsored by the City Design Center of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"This Internet-based catalog is a unique opportunity to showcase the best affordable housing designs in the country," said Polly Nyberg, Midwest regional director for the program's major funding source, the Fannie Mae Foundation.

The MUDS prototype home is the only catalog selection designed by a university-based studio. The prototype has been developed through partnerships with the Muncie Home Ownership and Development Center downtown and the Martin Luther King Memorial Commission in Anderson.

To date, 31 homes have been constructed in Muncie's Industry, Blaine and Whitely neighborhoods, and 11 have been built in Anderson as a major component of that city's Nelle Street Redevelopment Program.

The Greater Michigan City Community Development Corp. also is constructing variations of the prototype in that northwest Indiana city.

The "Design Matters" honor recognizes the work of MUDS and the contributions of other partners associated with the Muncie Home Ownership and Development Center, including Muncie's Community Development Department, the Muncie Urban Enterprise Association and the Muncie Area Career Center.

Design excellence was the major criterion for the jury's selection of case studies for the "Design Matters" catalog.

The national recognition reinforces the MUDS philosophy that design excellence and affordability can be combined, said Tony Costello, Ball State's Irving Distinguished Professor of Architecture and director of the studio.

"It confirms the high quality of the research, planning, design and technical investigations that were undertaken by faculty and students during the period between 1992 and 1995, when the studio investigated numerous prototype designs," said Costello, the design architect for the prototype.

MUDS' three-bedroom prototype features efficient space planning, options that allow for variations in exterior appearance and interior elements, compatibility with the existing neighborhood context and energy efficiency.

A concerted effort was made to achieve both affordable first-time costs and low operational and maintenance costs.

The "Design Matters" honor also confirms that university community-based design studios like MUDS can help to revitalize neighborhoods while giving students unique hands-on learning experiences, Costello noted.

MUDS is part of Ball State's nationally recognized architecture program in the College of Architecture and Planning. The studio has served the community since 1980 and has been developing affordable housing prototypes since 1992.

By Ted Buck, Communications Manager

(Note to Editors: For more information on this story, contact Tony Costello at (765) 285-5868 or e-mail ajcostello@bsu.edu.)