Students' Housing Designs Made with Cultures in Mind

Students Housing Designs Made with Cultures in Mind
Creating a culturally comfortable environment for the Hmong and Somali communities has been the focus of a class of University interior design students, and Saturday they presented their projects at the Hennepin History Museum in Minneapolis.

The show is titled "Building Ties: Culturally Sensitive Housing Designs for Hmong and Somali Refugees," and it culminates last fall's design studio for the students.

Their designs will be shown through May 2.

Professor Tasoulla Hadjiyanni taught the studio and has spent time researching the topic of cultural awareness.

From the information Hadjiyanni collected during interviews and research, students were able to create their designs.

Designs were specific to the Somali or Hmong communities and presented ideas on how housing designs could work with cultural, family and religious issues.

Hadjiyanni said the research has been an aid in looking at cultural practices in the United States.

"It's helpful to look at people who find themselves living in a building of another culture," she said.

"We are looking at how living in a typically American building affects cultural practices."

Hadjiyanni cited the example of Hmong families, which typically cook with a lot of spices.

Because of the open layout of American-style houses, the smells permeate the entire home.