CIRT Competition

Each year, ACE Mentor Student teams are eligible to participate in the annual CIRT National Design and Construction Competition. The Competition is funded, coordinated, and judged by Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT) for ACE Mentor Affiliate team entries.

The Competition presents three real-world project challenges to judge the ability of the students to make reasoned, coherent, clear presentations on their team’s design and construction approaches that are realistic and responsive to the project’s objectives within time, budget, constructability constraints, etc. The competition challenges students to develop innovative solutions , blending architecture, engineering, and construction management into one exciting project.

The Competition program was developed in order to introduce additional ways for students to develop valuable skills, and help them gain even more recognition and connection with professionals in the industry. All Submissions are judged and the top finalists are picked for each of the three challenges. The top teams are invited to Washington, DC to present their project live in front of the CIRT panel of judges.

This year’s competition held special meaning as we remember Mark Casso, a visionary leader and dedicated champion of ACE. Mark’s passion for inspiring young people to explore careers in the design and construction industry left an indelible mark on our program and the thousands of students it has touched. His legacy lives on in every team, mentor, and project that takes the ACE mission forward.

We are inspired by the dedication of these students, impressed by their ideas, and confident that they represent the very best of ACE.

ACE Mentor Program of New Jersey as the First Place winner — and a $2,000 prize — for their Net Zero Data Center project, “Net 505.” Their solution stood out for its comprehensive approach to energy efficiency, technical innovation, and clear articulation of a scalable, sustainable data infrastructure model.

Second Place for a $1,500 prize was awarded to ACE Mentor Program of Southern Nevada, Team Jigsaw for their Modular / Tech-enabled submission “Modular/Tech-Enabled Build”.

Third Place for a $1,000 prize was awarded to ACE Mentor Program of Illinois, Chicago Team 11 for their Cultural Destination submission “Crossroads Cultural Center.”

Runner Ups:
Net Zero Data Center Challenge
First Runner-Up: ACE Mentoring Program of Maine, Team ACE Maine for their Net Zero Data Center submission “Katahdin Peak Systems.”

Second Runner-Up: ACE Mentor Program of Greater Washington DC Metro Area, Inc., Team McKinley Tech High School for their Net Zero Data Center submission “McKinley Tech Net Zero Data Center.”

Modular / Tech-Enabled Construction Challenge
First Runner-Up: ACE Mentor Program Houston, Team ACE Galleria for their Modular / Tech-enabled submission “Project Halo.”

Second Runner-Up: ACE Mentor Program of Rhode Island, Team Fungi Friends for their Modular / Tech-enabled submission “Rooted Kinetics.”

Cultural Destination Challenge
First Runner-Up: ACE Mentor Program of Atlanta, Team ACE NAHS – Luz de Marea for their Cultural Destination submission “The Luz de Marea.”

Second Runner-Up: ACE Mentor Program of Illinois, Chicago Team 8 for their Cultural Destination submission “The Frank.”

View Competition results and photos!