Israel Castro (Left, CivE Year 3) was on Team 14, which took third place, and Asim Ahmad (Right, CivE Year 2) was on Team 8, which took first place in the Timberfever competition. (Courtesy Israel Castro)
CivMin students participating in teams for this year’s TimberFever competition took first and third place, as well as winning a Public Vote Award.
The design competition for architecture and engineering students, has teams gather to design and build structures which are then put on display. Over 90 participants from over 10 universities, from around Canada and the U.S., joined this three-day event taking place September 15 to 18. This year’s objective was to create a pavilion that encourages urban gardening and a sense of community.
Asim Ahmad (CivE Year 2) on Team 8, which took first, and Israel Castro (CivE Year 3) on Team 14, which took third place in the competition. As well, Chielotam Agbatekwe (CivE Year 3) on Team 11 won the Public Vote Award.
Left to right CivMin team members who won at TimberFever 2022: First place awarded to Team 8, with Asim Ahmad (CivE Year 2), Ascend Garden Pavillion; Third place awarded to Team 14, with Israel Castro (CivE Year 3), Paraboloid Garden; Public Vote Winner awarded to Team 11, with Chielotam Agbatekwe (CivE Year 3) Raid the Radish!
“TimberFever was a great experience which allowed us to deal with all stages of design and construction while collaborating with architecture students, learning from industry mentors and gaining knowledge of where sustainability within structural engineering is headed, says Castro. “Definitely looking forward to participating again next year!”
Ahmad offers a reflection of the competition,”TimberFever was a great opportunity to connect with students, mentors and professionals in the field of Civil Engineering and Architecture. As an Engineering student, my personal favourite aspect of this competition was the firsthand experience of working with Architects. Going through the design process, sharing ideas, learning from each others’ experiences and bringing our design to life was a greatly rewarding experience. Another important takeaway from this event is the importance of sustainable building practice, by promoting the idea of sustainability and use of materials that can regenerate naturally (such as timber). Can’t wait till next year!”
The competition involves, as the name implies, building timber structures with participants first give a design brief and limited time to complete. Engineering and architecture students collaborate to design, build and present their creation to industry professionals.
