, the Interior Architecture Department has begun plans to rebuild homes in Paradise for families who lost their homes during the most tragic wildfire in California history. Students and professors in the department have commenced “Project Rebuild Paradise” and are currently working to bring some light out of the ashes of the Camp Fire.

The group of students and faculty meet weekly and discuss progress and plans for moving along with the project. During their meetings, Paradise families came to see the floor plans of their future homes.

Professors of the Interior Architecture Department, as well as students, talked about the progress so far and answered questions for Paradise residents.

Students were given a chance to present their floor plans to the families and elaborate.

Interior architecture major Nikki Thor is part of the group of students involved in the project and described the process of rebuilding.

“There’s a lot of research, we look up what types of houses are in Paradise,” Thor said. “Each town has its own culture.”

She stressed the importance of paying attention to detail in the designing process of the houses.

“We gathered a lot of existing floor plans, and the ones that worked we took inspiration from.”

“Mine was the smallest,” Thor said, but each of the student houses are carefully designed and mapped out as a group, as well as individually.

“We collaborated a lot and bounced ideas off each other,” Thor said.

This is unique to a mostly student-run rebuilding project.

The major goal of rebuilding is to give back to the Paradise community and have families regain a fraction of what was lost in the fire last year. With the anniversary of the fire nearing, “Project Rebuild Paradise” is a prime example of the compassion shared by Chico State and the Paradise community.

The Interior Architecture department will continue to work on and develop floor plans, with construction set to begin this spring.

Danielle Kessler can be reached at [email protected] or @reserv0irpups on Twitter.