Two architecture studio classes have put their skills to use by creating a miniature golf course for a fundraising event this weekend.
An 18-hole putting green was designed for Partners in Housing, a non-profit affordable housing developer in Indianapolis. The event, Putting for Partners, is the company's only fundraiser for the year. For the last four years, Ball State University architecture students have designed the course.
"It's a great opportunity because architecture students do not often get to design full-scale, work with clients or get reviewed by people outside of the College of Architecture," senior Ben Herring said.
Twenty-seven architecture and landscape architecture students have worked for the last seven weeks, individually and in pairs, to create the course. Each hole was designed to represent a sponsor, who students met formally in Indianapolis during the first week of class, and then continued correspondence through e-mail, landscape architecture teacher German Cruz said.
A couple of teams had to redesign their holes in a matter of days because their sponsors decided the portrayed message was not exactly what they wanted for their company.
"Our sponsor was Citizens Gas, and we wanted to design our hole to look like a light bulb, to illustrate the concept of new ideas. But the company said we had to change it because natural gas is in competition with the electric company," senior Tyler Whitehead said.
The area that was supposed to be the tail of a light bulb will now illustrate natural gas with a blue paper machete flame.
The layout focuses heavily on the company logo, drawing on the green section to illustrate the environment and blue to illustrate growing business, Whitehead said.
After weeks of mocking up designs, the students started designing full-scale in the College of Architecture and Planning Building.
Senior Tracy Autenreith designed a hole for The Architecture Studio, which was made to look like one of the apartment complexes built by the company. On Friday she laid it on the basement floor and held pieces of her structure together while a classmate drilled gussets into place.
"Since they are an architecture firm, they're good to work with. I even sent them my resume," Autenreith said.
The Putting for Partners event will take place on Saturday in the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
"This afternoon Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. there will be an open house at CAP for anyone on campus to view the course," architecture teacher Pam Harwood said. "This is an opportunity for students to practice creative and practical representational skills."
She said it is important to make all the pieces collapsible. On Thursday students will disassemble their layouts and load them onto a semitrailer to take to Indianapolis.
"That afternoon, students will be judged on the most creative and most challenging hole designs, and there will be a sneak peak and reception for sponsors," Partners in Housing representative Lee Ann Harper said. "Tee-off times will be staggered with flights starting at 9 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 2:20 p.m."
Harwood said that each team of four represents a certain type of business, such as construction, architecture and law, and each team must raises $200.
"A little over 100 teams have signed up so far, and you can still sign up between now and Saturday," Harper said.
Last year, the event netted $15,000 for Partners in Housing. This year, Harper expects a $20,000 profit, she said.
"This is the time of year when companies host golf outings, but ours is indoors to bring people out of the cold, which is really the entire theme of our program." Harper said.
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