Alfred State Design-Build team captures title for third straight year

ASC Design-Build team presents
The Alfred State Design-Build team presents at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Student Competition.

At a glance

“Our team was dedicated and excited to work before, during, and after the competition. With the teamwork and friendships that we built, I truly believe it showed in our detailed project schedule, design, estimate, and the safety package that sold the show. We are so grateful and proud of each other, and excited to see where this learning opportunity will take us from here.”

Lexie Salamone

Big Blue Ox graphic

For the third year in a row, Alfred State placed first in the design-build division in the Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Student Competition held in Albany.

The design-build category was one of four divisions (pre-construction, commercial, and heavy-civil) at the event. Alfred State took the top spot ahead of Farmingdale State College, Roger Williams University, and the University at Buffalo. ASC also had a strong showing in the commercial division.

Architecture and Design Professor William Dean advised the design-build team along with Civil Engineering Technology Professor Erin Vitale who also advised the commercial team. Members of the design-build team included architecture students Jack Christie (Geneseo, NY), Jackson Eigg (Fairport, NY), Lauren Fisher (Tonawanda, NY), Abagail Jones (Pittsford, NY), Katie Petix (Bloomfield, NY), and construction management student Lexie Salamone (Hilton, NY).

ASC Design-Build teamSalamone served as the team project manager and was honored that her team won the competition. “Our team was dedicated and excited to work before, during, and after the competition. With the teamwork and friendships that we built, I truly believe it showed in our detailed project schedule, design, estimate, and the safety package that sold the show. We are so grateful and proud of each other, and excited to see where this learning opportunity will take us from here.”

The competition focused on providing design and construction services for upgrading an existing port facility to support ongoing renewable energy efforts for New York State. The program required the development of an operations and maintenance warehouse with a two-level office space, a community programming space, and a green roof on a five-acre waterfront lot adjacent to Gowanus Bay in New York City.

On the first day of competition weekend, teams received project documents at 8 a.m. and had 16 hours to complete their submission to the judging team comprised of a sponsoring firm, who created the challenge. The team’s submission included conceptual design documents, an itemized estimate, a comprehensive schedule, and safety and site logistic plans.

The next day, each team gave an oral presentation to the project sponsors and judging team, Skanska, who judged the written submissions and oral presentations and ranked the top three teams.

“Over the past twenty years, Alfred State has established a strong tradition of competitive finishes in the design-build category,” commented Dean. “This commitment to excellence has been amplified over the past three years and has broadened the way that students think about the architect’s role in the construction process. I am extremely proud that this group moved outside of their individual comfort zones to form a truly exceptional team. They showed a lot of heart and were a lot of fun to work with.”

In preparing for the competition, Alfred State students met with members of the senior leadership team from VIP Structures (Syracuse, NY) including Meg Tidd, Chief Executive Officer, and Rob Shutts, RA, Principal, Architecture. The VIP architects, engineers, and construction managers provided a valuable and insightful review of the students’ preliminary proposals and gave them an overview of how their firm might approach a similar project. 

Design-Build team stands in front of SUNY building