In this article, Angel Leon, Simpson Strong-Tie Training Specialist/Outreach Coordinator and cofounder of Timber-Strong, discusses the creation of this ASCE design build competition, what it teaches architecture and structural engineering students, and how the program will grow in the future.
For the last three years, Simpson Strong-Tie has sponsored events at the Pacific Southwest Conference, a three-day competition promoted by the American Society of Civil Engineers for civil engineering students. This year, 18 universities from Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii sent teams to Tempe, Arizona, for the competition, which was co-hosted April 12–14 by Arizona State and Northern Arizona Universities.