CAEM Students Win National Design Competition

In November, a team of CAEM students bested more than 20 other teams to win the 2022 National Design Build Student Competition in Las Vegas. The student team, knows as the Cardinal Design-Build team, comprised L-Rej Awit, Arsenio Figo, Grant Hoffman, Aria Mascall and Helena Zikov.

The competition format is based on a true procurement process, said Professor of Practice Dean Papajohn, who is faculty advisor for the DBIA-UA Chapter. Industry partners encouraged Papajohn to establish the chapter when he joined the faculty in 2015. Design and construction industry professionals recognize the DBIA competition as one of the premier events students can participate in, he said.

Cardinal Design-Build first responded to a Request for Qualifications, then a Request for Proposals for a parking facility with classrooms and recreation spaces on a college campus in Michigan.

Hoffman estimates the team members spent a combined total of at least 1,000 hours on the project since the start of the fall semester. The team provided a full estimate cost of the $30 million dollar building, as well as a construction schedule, full model design, and a 70-page narrative describing the students’ approach to construction.

Papajohn attributes the win to the students’ collaborative team culture.

“They helped each other out as needed, encouraged one another, and kept a positive outlook even when things got busy or confusing,” he said.