If those 99 teams had gone to their nearest housing non-profit and offered 40 hours of free design service, none of the time would have been wasted. And maybe 20 would turn the volunteer start into real jobs. I think it is a better idea than competition. I feel the same way about students. It's not just an interest one way.
Students seem to be dying to work directly with a family.
But I make sure they don't sit down and do the design they did last semester. They have to spend a lot of time first getting to know the family and the area. Schools teach a very bad habit, which is to hand out a program and the students go right to the desk. Well, maybe there is a site visit. But the people part of the information process is left out.