ASCE Timber-Strong Design Build Competition
What Students are Saying
- This is the only competition that brings it all together—design, drawings, BIM, and construction!
- TSDB matches our school motto, “Learn by doing.”
- BIM helped us catch load path mistakes before the build.
- The Timber-Strong Design Build Competition is by far the most involved temporary technical team out of the others.
- I think this competition is great!!!!
The TSDB Experience
APA – The Engineered Wood Association has been a proud sponsor of ASCE's Timber-Strong Design BuildSM (TSDB) competitions since 2019. The goal of the TSDBSM competition is to provide unique insights and hands-on experience to the next generation of structural engineers involved in sustainable design and construction.
“This competition is a good place to test what we learn,” said Daniel Look, captain of the 2019 Cal Poly Pomona team. The structural engineering senior, who had just earned his Engineer in Training certification, and his team built their entry with a grass-topped roof to serve as insulation, light paint coating to reflect heat and lightweight design to conserve resources.
“Wood is a lot more sustainable,” Look said. “We wanted to take full advantage of the material.”
By preparing a project bid, performing analysis and managing the construction process, each team acts as a design/build construction firm while competing in a friendly environment. The top three designs are awarded a cash prize.
“Sustainability was important to us,” said Emmy Park, co-captain of the 2019 University of Southern California team, who pointed out to the judges during their presentation that they used as little non-wood material as possible. Park’s co-captain Kirsten Briggs agreed. “Wood is the only naturally occurring building material,” she said. “You know where it comes from, and you know it can be reused or recycled.”
Aidan Zydiak was a captain for the 2024 University of Florida's design team. Zydiak said the competition gave him the chance to learn about BIM software for the first time. "I feel that using the software was the most applicable part of the project to my career in the future," he said. "I also enjoyed cutting the wood and building the structure. Bringing the design to physical reality was satisfying."
Learn more about eligibility, guidelines and rules of the competition at ASCE's Timber-Strong Design Build Competition webpage.
TSDB Competition Winners
2024
Eastern Great Lakes Symposium
1st place: Michigan Technological University
2nd place: Cleveland State University
BIM: Cleveland State University
Hosted by: University of Akron
Indiana-Kentucky Symposium
1st place: Purdue University-West Lafayette
BIM: Purdue University-West Lafayette
Hosted by: Purdue University Northwest
Southeast Symposium
1st place: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University-Florida State University
2nd place: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
3rd place: Florida International University
BIM: University of North Florida
Hosted by: University of Central Florida
Region 6 Symposium
1st place: LeTourneau University
2nd place: University of Texas-Arlington
3rd place: University of Texas-Tyler
BIM: LeTourneau University
Hosted by: Angelo State University
Rocky Mountain Symposium
1st place: Colorado School of Mines
2nd place: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
BIM: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Hosted by: University of Wyoming
Intermountain Southwest Symposium
1st place: Utah State University
2nd place: Northern Arizona University
3rd place: Boise State University
BIM: Brigham Young University-Idaho
Hosted by: Utah State University
Pacific Southwest Symposium
1st place: California Polytechnic State University-San Louis Obispo
2nd place: University of California-Irvine
3rd place: University of California-Los Angeles
BIM: California State University-Long Beach
Hosted by: University of Hawaii - Manoa
2023
Gulf Coast Symposia
1st place: University of Alabama
2nd place: Louisiana Tech
3rd place: University of South Alabama
BIM: Alabama
Hosted by: University of South Alabama
PNW Symposia
1st place: Montana Tech
Hosted by: Montana State
Intermountain Symposia
1st place: Utah State
2nd place: Arizona State
3rd place: Boise St
BIM: Utah State
Hosted by: University of Nevada, Reno
PSW Symposia
1st place: Cal Poly SLO
2nd place: UC Irvine
3rd place: UCSD tied CSU Northridge
BIM: UC Irvine
Hosted by: Cal State Northridge
Southeast Symposia
1st place: FSU
2nd place: University of Florida
3rd place: University of Central Florida
BIM: FSU
Hosted by: University of North Florida
Mid-Pacific Symposia
1st place: Zhejiang University
BIM: Tongi University
Hosted by: Cal State U Chico
Region 6 Symposia
1st place: LeTourneau
2nd place: Angelo State
3rd place: UT Tyler
BIM: Texas Tech
Hosted by: West Texas A&M
Indiana-Kentucky Symposia
1st place: Purdue
2nd place: Cleveland State
3rd place: Michigan Tech
Hosted by: Western Kentucky University
2022
SE Symposia
1st place: FAMU-FSU
2nd place: University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
3rd place: FAU
BIM: TBD
Hosted by: FAMU-FSU
Gulf Coast Symposia
1st place: Auburn University
BIM: Auburn University
Hosted by: Auburn University
Region 6 Symposia
1st place: LeTourneau University
BIM: LeTourneau University
Hosted by: University of Houston
PSW Symposia
1st place: U of Hawaii at Manoa
2nd place: CSU Long Beach
3rd place: UCLA
BIM: UCLA
Hosted by: UCSD
Intermountain SW Symposia
1st place: U of Utah
2nd place: NAU
3rd place: U of Arizona
BIM: ASU
Hosted by: UNLV
2021
Online
1st place: UCLA
2nd place: CSU Fullerton
3rd place: University of Hawaii at Manoa
2020
Online
1st place: CSU Fullerton
2nd place: UCLA
3rd place: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
2019
2019 NCSEA Summit
1st Place: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
2nd Place: UCLA
3rd Place: University of Kentucky
Host: Disneyland® Hotel, Anaheim, California
Pacific Southwest Conference
1st Place: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
2nd Place: University of Arizona
3rd Place: UCLA
Host: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo