MSOE finds success on national stage

By Robert Lemke

Robert Lemke

Excellence and consistency are the norm for student teams from the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Architectural Engineering and Building Construction Department.

Since the inception of the Associated General Contractors and Associated Schools of Construction National Competition in 1999, the student teams placed in the competition’s top three 11 times. This includes being crowned National Champion five times.

The MSOE competes in both the Design-Build and Commercial Construction categories. The Commercial Construction team once achieved three straight national championships, and, in the 2007 competition, the MSOE’s Design-Build team placed second in the nation.

The students on this year’s Design-Build team were Adam Friedman, Josh Buckholt, Mat Johnson, Ross Slocum, Kevin Kendellen and Jamie Zimdahl. The team was challenged with a $75 million design/build student housing development in Colorado.

The team utilized all its training in construction, engineering, architectural design, presentation techniques, BIM and sustainable design to fulfill the proposal requirements in the allotted time.

Two all-nighters sequestered in one hotel room were required, which also tested their endurance. This competition, although at times grueling, has special meaning for the team members.

“The competition really demonstrates the definition of team,” said Zimdahl. “We were a group of six individuals with different personalities who worked as a team to get the project done.”

This is a highly competitive competition typically held in conjunction with the AGC Annual Convention. All universities that have construction management and architectural engineering programs are eligible to compete. A sampling of the 70-plus ASC members that compete annually includes much larger universities such as Clemson University, Iowa State University and Florida State University.

The MSOE's consistent level of excellence is unmatched and points to it as being one of the nation’s premier AE & BC programs.

“MSOE competes as a Division III school in athletics, but is clearly a Division I school when it comes to building construction,” said Roger Frankowski, the MSOE’s vice president of academics.

Architectural engineering and construction firms see the competition as an indication of the MSOE’s students’ technical skills. This competition has exposed the students to some of the largest construction and engineering companies in the country.

Prospective employers in Wisconsin and across the United States are well aware that the typical AE & BC student is prepared as a construction and engineering professional.

The competition also benefits the AE & BC Department by letting us hear from the large sponsoring companies what skill sets they desire when seeking new engineering and construction professionals.

We heard that incorporating sustainable design in construction practices is clearly a trend. Five years ago, we began incorporating sustainable design into the AE & BC courses.

Based on our experiences at the competition, it appears that Building Information Modeling is taking over the industry. The department recently incorporated BIM into the curriculum.

The department also has been well received by prospective students. It has experienced nearly a 20 percent increase in enrollment over the past number of years.

Besides letting the team travel to warm locations in the winter quarter, the competition means a lot to AE & BC students. The successes give all AE & BC students, even those not competing, exposure to local and national companies.

Students are recruited heavily as juniors and seniors and are given exciting and valuable internship opportunities during school. The AE & BC Department’s annual Career Fair grows each year with local and national employers coming to recruit students.

The MSOE’s participation in this competition would not be possible without the generous financial and mentoring support from the AGC of Greater Milwaukee; the MSOE alumni; local and national architectural, engineering and construction companies; and the entire AE & BC faculty and staff.

Recently, I asked 2006-07 Design-Build team member Josh Buckholt if he planned to try out for the team next year.

“I have no choice,” he said. “I do not want to leave MSOE being in second place.”

It appears that the 2007-08 team is already starting to push the limits of what it knows it can achieve.