(From left) faculty adviser Dean Papajohn, Lily Trenkamp, Lauren Johnson, Reuel Florendo, Kenadee Carruthers and Macie Balkan react to the announcement of the team’s win. Johnson also won the award for best individual presenter. “The team demonstrated a mastery of collaboration and creativity that left a lasting impression on the judges,” stated DBIA’s blog.
Cardinal Design-Build Team members present their proposal to the judges. DBIA’s National Design-Build Student Competition provides a rigorous introduction to the complexities of real-world project delivery. The 2024 competition’s challenge centered on expanding a major international airport to address record-breaking increases in passenger traffic.
Lauren Johnson accepts her award for best individual presenter. Johnson will forever be glad she participated, she said: “Winning as an all-female team was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through collaboration, determination and diverse perspectives,” said Johnson. “It is an incredibly comforting fact to know that this industry will one day be filled with females as wonderful and brilliant as the ones I now call my friends.”
A University of Arizona team won the Design-Build Institute of America’s national competition on Nov. 7. The civil and architectural engineering and mechanics students, known as the Cardinal Design-Build Team, made this the university’s fourth consecutive finish in the top three of the National Design-Build Student Competition.
The all-woman team’s win was “a statement of ingenuity and resilience in a field where women have historically been underrepresented,” stated DBIA’s blog.
“The moment was extraordinary – not just for the team but the industry as a whole, where women make up just 10% of the construction workforce in the U.S.”
Photos: Robb McCormick