Notre Dame was the only North American university chosen to compete at what is known as the Olympics of product design. For the contest, which culminated in New York City in November, 2004, students were challenged to develop concepts for new kitchen and laundry appliances for three distinct client groups: baby boomers, urban dwellers and people living in developing nations.
The idea from Notre Dame's urban design team—for compact, light, stackable appliances that could also be used to create a wall divider—advanced to the finals but was not chosen among the top entries. Those came from the University of New South Wales in Australia, the Czech Republic's Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design, and the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the United Kingdom.