Washington State University Students Shine At Northwest Regional Design-Build Competition

Student teams from WSU’s School of Design and Construction took top prizes at the Northwest regional Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) student competition.

Two multidisciplinary teams that included students from construction engineering, architecture, construction management, and civil engineering took first and second prize in the competition held earlier this fall. The top WSU team, Palouse Construction, received $2,500 and an invitation to the national competition in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they placed fourth.

The competition requires that student teams create a project and then present it to leaders in the design-build industry. The first phase is a Request for Qualifications that includes an initial design and the team’s qualifications. In the second phase, students complete a Request for Proposals that includes a refined design with a response to project-specific parameters.

The winning teams included Ethan Schaefer (construction engineering), Julia Kaminski (architecture), Keeley Taylor (architecture), Carson Majewski (construction management), and Corbin Sims (construction management) for Palouse Construction and Oliver Lawrence (construction management), Grace McGowan (architecture), Magnus Neil (architecture), Richard Corson (construction management), and Emiko Cook (civil engineering) for Morgem Foundations.

The students also attended the DBIA national convention and exposition in Las Vegas in November.

“This was a life-changing experience for all the participants,” said Darhl Edwards, assistant professor in the School of Design and Construction and the DBIA club’s faculty advisor. “The DBIA Student Competition provides one of the best real-world experiences where you can see the growth of the participants that, ultimately, makes them stronger and better prepared for future success.”