A team of NDSCS students from the Architectural Modeling and Design Technology and Construction Management Technology programs secured 3rd place in the associate degree category of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition. The event took place during the 2025 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) in Las Vegas, NV and featured teams from 11 comparable college programs across the U.S. In total, 76 teams representing universities, technical colleges, community colleges, high schools, and career technical schools participated in the annual competition. 

For more than 30 years, the NAHB has hosted this student competition during the International Builders’ Show (IBS), providing students the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom to a real construction project. Teams develop and submit a comprehensive construction management proposal, which is judged by executives of the construction company who build the actual project the previous year. 

Student teams began project preparations, including written proposals to address real-life scenarios, during the fall semester. Each team was given a design problem and building criteria, requiring them to produce drawings, sketches, material estimates, labor calculations, and a complete construction schedule. Teams then traveled to the IBS, where they presented their solutions to a panel of industry experts on February 24-25, 2025. 

“NDSCS has competed nationally at the International Builders Show for 15 years and we always have awesome lessons to show for the hard work that is put forth. Students worked so well together and really took the task of developing their project seriously – thinking outside the box and networking was their focus and they finalized a project they should really be proud of!” said Lara Lekang, NDSCS Architectural Modeling & Design Associate Professor. “I’m so proud of what they accomplished and received with their 3rd place award.” 

Reflecting on their time in Las Vegas, Lekang continued, “Beyond the competition, we all had a great time in Las Vegas – touring “The New American Home 2025”, seeing the newest technology, and of course the sights of the city. The construction industry supports these students’ hard work, and I hope they carry these lessons into their future careers!” 

Learn more about the Construction and Design programs available at NDSCS by visiting NDSCS.edu/Academics.