FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas students want to help the Seven Hills Homeless Center in a concrete way — quite literally.

Students in the architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, and interior design programs at the university have designed and constructed a new reception area for the shelter that will feature a 1500-pound concrete countertop, tinted and buffed with carnuba wax to a high sheen. Students have installed the two-part desk and much-needed shelving, and at 1:30 p.m. this  Friday, Aug. 12, they will complete the job by installing the concrete countertop.

“It’s going to be a challenge to maneuver the concrete slab,” said Jared Hueter, an architecture student from Henderson, Tenn. “We’ll be glad to get it safely in place!”

The new reception area will serve about 80 people a day, said Eric Samuels, director of Seven Hills.

 “The students have really come through with a beautiful and durable design that fully meets our needs. I’m impressed by their commitment to community service,” Samuels said.

UA students and faculty in the architecture, landscape architecture, engineering and interior design programs have participated in numerous efforts to benefit the state, from designing and constructing homes for low-income families to developing third-world villages for Heifer International. This project marks the first time that students have organized and carried out a design/build project outside of class, with minimal faculty supervision. Re:Vision, a new multidisciplinary student group co-founded by Hueter, architecture student Kara Pegg of  Paragould, Ark., and civil engineering student Jonathan Rawlings of  Doniphan, Mo., coordinated the effort.

“We feel this is a great opportunity to expand our education beyond the classroom and benefit the community. We wanted to start with a manageable project that would really make an impact,” Hueter said.

In addition to designing and building the reception area, the students have secured donations worth more than $1,000 in materials and services. Cabinetmaker Dave Albert of Kitchen Distributors Inc. has contributed expertise and some $500 in materials to the project, cutting out 50 pieces of oak shelving based on the students’ CAD drawings. Other donations were provided by Ken Schoby, who crafted a stainless steel countertop, and Jack Besser, who helped the students with lighting design on the desk and rewired Seven Hills to accommodate the new reception area. Finally, Project Locus, an architecture organization that supports community outreach, provided more than $300 for brushes, stains, tools and other finishing materials.

“In addition to gaining practical experience in design and construction, these students have learned about the challenges of planning and coordinating a volunteer effort,” said Jeff Shannon, dean of the School of Architecture. “This is especially impressive considering that they are pursuing a very rigorous academic path. We are very proud of their contribution to the community.”

To learn more about Re:Vision, visit http://projectlocus.org/revision.htm.