Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Four ConE Teams Take Top Honors in Regional Competition

 

Contacts:
Larry Cormicle, senior lecturer of construction engineering, (515) 294-8299, cormicleiastate.edu
Dana Schmidt, CCEE communications specialist, (515) 294-8312, schmidtdiastate.edu

schmidtdiastate.edu
Ames, Iowa – Four Iowa State University construction engineering student teams won top honors at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region IV Competition in Nebraska City, Nebraska, October 25-27. The commercial, design-build, and residential teams placed first and the heavy/civil team placed second.

At the competition, all teams were allowed 18 hours to develop a proposal including the full schedule, estimate, and company qualifications. The design-build team also had to produce 10 architectural design computer drawings and build a computer-generated 3-D model of the project. All teams then made 20-minute presentations in support of their proposals to a group of industry judges who were involved in construction of the actual projects. The presentations were followed by a 10-minute question and answer period.

The commercial team responded to a mock request for proposals for an $11.2 million project for the Kansas City Hospice Inpatient Care Facility. The 52,700-square-foot building included complete build out of an East Wing and Commons area with 24 patient rooms, examination rooms, and a 100-space parking lot on a 14 acre site. The construction schedule was nine months. The winning commercial team members include Nicole Bell (team captain), Clark Bowden, Sean Brummer, Tim Jennett, Matt Karns, and Nate Steffes. The commercial team has placed first four times within the last five years.

The design-build team answered a mock request for the Country Club Gardens Redevelopment Project in Denver, Colorado, with a guaranteed maximum price of $133 million. The project consists of a 550,000-square-foot residential redevelopment with two 25-story residential towers and above and below grade parking. Kevin Heisdorffer (team captain), Cory McDermott, Adam Brainerd, Kyle Grunder, Marc Basara, and Derek Quam (architecture) are the winning team members. Iowa State’s design-build team has won the first place award 10 out of the last 11 years.

The residential team responded to a mock request for a 105 acre residential development with 285 potential homes. The winning residential team members include Tyler Millard (team captain), Jessica Meredith, Chris Daniels, Tim Corcoran, Blake Pratt, and Mike Pokorney. This is only the fifth year that Iowa State has competed in the residential division and this is their first first-place finish. With five team members returning next year, the residential team also should make a strong showing in the October 2008 competition.

The heavy/civil team reacted to a mock request for proposals for the $4.7 million Cross County Metrolink Project in St. Louis, Missouri. A new 500-foot-long cast-in place concrete tunnel for a railway line was built under an existing two span highway bridge. Heavy/civil team members include Mike Grim (team captain), Jeff Theis, Jesse Spain, Dustin Worthington, Jerry Van Oort, and Adam Mueller. This team placed second, and with three team members returning, should make a strong showing again in next year’s competition. Iowa State’s heavy/civil team won first place in 2004 and 2005.

The commercial and design-build teams will compete in the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America/ASC National Student Competition held during the AGC of America National Convention, March 10-12, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first place residential team will compete at the Residential Construction Competition at the National Association of Home Builder’s International Builders’ Show February 13-15, 2008, in Orlando, Florida.

Larry Cormicle (BSConE ’78), a senior lecturer in construction engineering, coached all four teams prior to and during the competition. Thirty-three teams from 13 universities competed representing the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

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