A team of NewSchool of Architecture & Design students won first place in the category of Virtual Design and Construction at the Associated Schools of Construction (Regions 6 and 7) 2013 Student Competition near Reno, Nevada, February 5–8, 2013. NewSchool competed against student teams from 11 other schools around the country. The school’s winning team was composed of six students from the architecture and construction management programs.

This was NewSchool’s first time participating in the competition, making the win particularly significant for the school’s relatively new construction management department, which introduced a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management program in 2010.

NewSchool student team members included Jake Jaenicke, Vincent Macias, and Joe Kovac, who are all enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management program, and Steven Hansen, Antonio Barragan and Athena Dadiz, who are all in the Bachelor of Architecture program. Other NewSchool students involved in the competition were German Morales, who served as a team alternate, and Charles Marion, who served as student coach. Both are enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management program. The team’s faculty coach was George Welch, who is the chair of NewSchool’s construction management department.

Former Construction Management Chair Linda Thomas-Mobley and Construction Management Advisory Board members also provided support to Welch and the students. Specialists with Balfour Beatty Construction — including Brad Hardin, national vice president–technology, and Elizabeth Angel, BIM manager — assisted the students in preparing for the competition.