A global pandemic didn’t slow down MSOE students at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 3 Conference and Student Competitions in October. Students in MSOE’s Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department competed virtually in the event and took second place in the Design/Build Regional Competition and third place in the National Preconstruction Competition. 

Nine companies sponsored the event. MSOE competed against 11 teams in the design/build competition and against nine teams in the preconstruction competition.  

For each competition the teams received a request for proposal (RFP) for a real project one week in advance of the competition. Once the problem is received, the students work without assistance from their coach. The students then submit their proposal and present their solution to a panel of judges, which usually includes individuals who were involved in the actual project.  

Regional Second Place: Design/Build
The Design/Build Team earned second place with their RFP for a new community center project in Rogers, Arkansas. This project included the design and construction of a new facility on a greenfield site to accommodate an indoor gymnasium, indoor/outdoor aquatics center, community meeting rooms, and the necessary administrative and building support areas. McCarthy sponsored the competition. Congratulations to Troy Simonides (captain), Katie Augustine, Dylan Hamlin, Alex Olson, Brian Jimenez, Megan Weidner and their coach Trevor Symbal '20, MSOE alumnus.  

National Third Place: Preconstruction
The Preconstruction Team took third place in the national competition, which was sponsored by Pepper Construction. For the competition, the team served as the general contractor that submitted an RFP for the preconstruction and construction services for a $35 million 8-story corporate office building, which included four levels of parking garage deck, four levels of office space, and sitework. Ethan Buechel (captain), Willem Gauthier, Maxwell Jenney, Jeff Makowski, Justin Meseberg and their coach Mark Rounds, CAECM assistant professor.