School of Planning, Design and Construction

Ready. Set. Build!

The construction industry is a competitive one, and for some SPDC students, the competition starts before graduation. Every year, six primary team members (supported by up to six alternates) travel to the International Builders’ Show (IBS) hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This select group of Spartans arrive with one goal in mind: first prize in the annual NAHB Student Competition.

Teams from top universities across the country enter the competition designed to give students genuine industry experience. They are tasked with submitting a complete development prospectus for a real-world residential subdivision construction project. Each year the competition is sponsored by a national production home building company and the project is selected from that company’s actual slate of projects.

The prospectus includes a market analysis, site plan, home designs, complete vertical and horizontal construction cost estimates and schedules, project management plan, marketing plan, and financial analysis and assessment of project risks. Students spend months crafting a 50-page proposal document, then travel to the International Builders’ Show to defend their work in a presentation to industry executives.

The value of hands-on learning is not lost on 2024-25 team member and Construction Management (CM) student, Chloe Scholten (’25), who said, “It was a great experience because it is how the industry really works.” Scholten became a Spartan after a job shadow experience while enrolled at Lansing Community College sparked an interest in the construction industry. “I switched my major and transferred to MSU because their CM program had a great reputation,” she explained.

Victory for MSU

The program’s reputation extends well beyond the classroom. MSU’s Residential Construction Competition Team has earned a top five finish at the NAHB Student Competition in seven of the past eight years:

That streak includes six podium finishes in the past seven years and two overall victories, with the team taking first place in 2019 and 2020. Over MSU's 35-year history of participation, the team has taken first place four times and has had 14 top three finishes. This sustained record of success is all the more impressive considering anywhere from 20 to 40 teams compete in a given year. This year, MSU bested all but one of the competing schools, taking second place in a field of 26.

A relative constant in the history of MSU’s Residential Competition Team is Dr. George Berghorn, assistant professor of Construction Management at the School of Planning Design and Construction, who has served as the team’s faculty coach for the past 10 years. He says the value of the competition lies in the ability of students to, “gain significant experience giving professional presentations and learn how to manage a complex, multifaceted project.”

Chloe Scholten agrees, explaining she was surprised with the amount of freedom the team had to learn and grow on their own, which she credits with helping her build valuable skills for the future. “I learned how to step outside of my comfort zone,” she explained. “I built the confidence to research things on my own [and] to try new things and ask questions.” Scholten said she, “did not except to grow as much as I did. I grew as a student, employee, and presenter.” She even says she has already seen a positive impact on her career through her current internship. “Many people in the office congratulated me. It felt good to be recognized by the company I am going to work for after graduation.”

Beyond the Blueprints

Though the competition is geared toward the construction industry, there is room for a wide breadth of knowledge and interests. MSU’s team generally consists of mostly Construction Management students but other SPDC programs and even business majors have been represented throughout the years. “Beyond gaining exposure to actual projects, students benefit from being a member of a multidisciplinary team,” explained Dr. Berghorn.

Interior Design (ID) alum, Taylor Howes (’21), can attest to this. She joined the Residential Competition Team in 2020 and 2021, and although the ID and CM programs share a building, she never had an opportunity to work so intensively with other SPDC students. “Getting to see what the CM students do and the hard work that goes into a project of this magnitude was very eye-opening,” said Howes. “It brought a new perspective to design that I had yet to be exposed to as a student,” she continued.

Howes sees the benefit of competing in her professional life. “The Residential Competition Team was a great microcosm for what it's like to work in the industry,” she explained. She described the ability to verbally and visually communicate design solutions both to a panel of judges or clients, as well as internally on a team, as invaluable. According to Howes, “the collaboration, organizational, and communication skills I learned while completing the projects are skills I still use daily.”

Building a Legacy

Howes says she wasn’t sure what to expect when joining the team but got an extra boost of confidence from a fellow ID alum who had competed the year before. “[They] shared their winning proposal [1st place from 2019] with me, giving me a better idea of the full scope of the project,” she explained, and now enthusiastically supports ID students – and other SPDC students – to take advantage of this opportunity if possible. “It is a fabulous opportunity to work with other talented students and faculty in SPDC while creating connections with other professionals in the industry,” said Howes.

Chloe Scholten says she bonded a lot with the team throughout the semester and during their travels, which was a huge bonus, and highly suggests students join the team if they can. “It is a lot of work and very time consuming, but it was the MOST rewarding thing I have done in college,” she said. She encourages those intimidated by the hard work and long hours to persevere.

For Taylor Howes’ part, she likened the experience to that of another winning tradition in East Lansing: the MSU basketball team. “Like Izzo, Dr. B demands maximum effort, hard work, and dedication and in return his team trusts that he is setting them up for success,” she explained. Howes says the reward for this trust and hard work is evident in the accomplishments of the team throughout the years, and that she is, “proud to have a part in that!”