The ASCE-FIU team earned 3rd place in the Timber-Strong Design Build℠ Competition at the 2026 ASCE Southeast Student Symposium. This achievement is especially meaningful as, for the first time in the competition’s 24-year history, the construction team was composed entirely of women.

The Timber-Strong Design Build℠ Competition challenges student teams to design and construct an artistically creative, sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, and structurally durable two-story wood light-framed building within a constrained space and limited time. The competition provides students with hands-on experience in structural engineering design, construction management, teamwork, and building practices used in real-world construction environments.

The team would like to thank FIU graduate student Houssam Al Sayegh for his support with the structural design calculations.

Team Members

Team Captain
Yonacary “Cary” Wingard

Building Team
Kelcie Grayson
Ariadna Manrique
Katherine Cadavid
Yadielix Vega
Lovencia Etienne
Yonacary “Cary” Wingard

Design Lead
Kelcie Grayson
Ariadna Manrique

Structural Analysis Lead
Katherine Cadavid
Andres Famiglietti

Aesthetics Lead
Marvin Mo He
Laura Da Silva

QA/QC
Rodrigo Valladolid

Sustainability
Yadielix Vega

Estimation
Lovencia Etienne

Graduate Advisors
Diego Piazza
Paula Martinez

Professional Advisor
Dr. Omar Nofal

Faculty Advisor
Cora Martinez

Congratulations to the ASCE-FIU Timber-Strong Design Build℠ team on this outstanding accomplishment.