NJAAW Housing Design Competition

NJ ranks among the 10 most expensive states for housing. Although new housing continues to be built, most homes are 50+ years old, 2-stories in height, and inaccessible or inappropriate to older residents. Across the state, land is at a premium, pushing developers to build market rate and luxury housing over housing that is affordable to those at middle to lower incomes. 

NJAAW’s 2024 Statewide Survey of Older Adults revealed many older adults want to stay in their communities but face challenges with their current homes and lacked options to downsize. To highlight this challenge and provide solutions, we are hosting a design competition soliciting entries across 3 categories: Accessory Dwelling Units, detached single family, and multi-family housing.

Our goals are to:

• Provide potential solutions and housing options
• Demonstrate ways to provide a range of housing options in New Jersey
• Identify options that are affordable to a typical older resident - not designs that qualify federally or otherwise as structured, subsidized or tax credit projects, but financially realistic for retirees on a fixed income, both in terms of construction and maintaining.
• Educate local leaders, the housing industry and the public about universal design and age friendly design
• Share the results with developers, other architects, state agencies and municipal boards
• To help shape priorities for housing in a multisector plan for aging

In addition to prize money, competition winners will be given credit for their work and design as NJAAW shares it through events, conferences etc. Introductions may be made to interested developers and planners 

See details here: NJAAW Housing Design Competition

Timeline: Submission due October 31, 2025

Winners announced November 21, 2025