The 2027 CIRT National Design + Construction Competition Launches

Sep 1

4 min read

The 2027 CIRT National Design + Construction Competition is officially underway, inviting ACE Mentor Program student teams from across the country to put their creativity, technical skills and teamwork to the test through three new real-world design and construction challenges.

Presented by the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT) in partnership with the ACE Mentor Program of America, the annual national competition connects high school students with the architecture, engineering, construction and design industries. Teams work alongside their ACE mentors to develop solutions that balance innovative thinking with the practical realities of the built environment—from constructability and materials to budgets, timelines and community needs.

For 2027, the Competition is building on the energy of its milestone 20th anniversary year with new challenges and an expanded Washington, D.C. experience designed to create even more opportunities for students.

The 2027 Challenges

Each year, CIRT develops three challenges around real issues and opportunities facing the design and construction industry. Students are encouraged to approach their chosen challenge collaboratively, drawing on perspectives from architecture, engineering, construction, design and the skilled trades. The 2027 CIRT Competition challenges are:

Rising Tide

Regenerative coastal multi-family housing

Teams are challenged to explore how regenerative design and construction can create resilient multi-family housing in coastal communities – considering not only how buildings respond to environmental conditions, but how thoughtful development can contribute positively to the people and places around them.

Forgotten Infrastructure

Adaptive reuse and community transformation

Teams will look at existing infrastructure through a new lens, exploring how an overlooked or underused site can be adaptively reused to meet contemporary needs and become a meaningful community asset.

Design + Construction Innovation Center

Learning, technology and industry collaboration

Teams will envision a center that brings together education, emerging technology, the skilled trades, and the design and construction industry, creating opportunities for learning, experimentation and collaboration while considering how the facility itself can demonstrate innovation in the built environment.

Complete requirements, design considerations and submission details for all three challenges are available in the 2027 CIRT Competition Handbook.

Expanding the Washington, D.C. Experience

The CIRT Competition has always been about more than selecting a winning project. It is an opportunity for students to develop ideas together, learn from industry mentors and ultimately communicate and defend their work before professionals who design and build the world around them.

Following the energy and expanded student experience of the Competition’s 20th anniversary year, CIRT is carrying that momentum forward in 2027.

For the first time under the new Competition structure, six teams - two from each of the three challenge areas - will advance to Washington, D.C. as D.C. Finalists. Previously, only the top three teams would advance to DC.

The six teams will present head-to-head within their respective challenge areas during a Preliminary Round. One team from each challenge will then advance, bringing three teams together for the Final Round and the opportunity to compete for national First, Second and Third Place.

The expanded format means more than simply having additional teams in Washington. It creates more opportunities for students to present their ideas, engage directly with leaders from across the architecture, engineering and construction industries, and experience their work being taken seriously on a national stage.

More Student Voices

The student presentation experience is expanding in 2027, too. Each D.C. Finalist team may designate up to three student presenters to take the stage and participate in jury questions and answers. The change gives more of the students who helped develop a project the opportunity to represent their team, explain their design decisions and build valuable professional communication skills.

Whether or not a team ultimately takes home a national award, the experience is intended to give students something lasting: greater confidence in their ideas, exposure to potential career pathways, and meaningful connections with professionals working throughout the built environment.

Connecting Students with the Design and Construction Industry

Founded in 2007 by the late Mark A. Casso, former CIRT President, in collaboration with the late Charlie Thornton, founder of the ACE Mentor Program, the CIRT National Design + Construction Competition was created to give students additional opportunities to develop valuable skills, gain recognition for their work and connect with professionals in the industry. Two decades later, that mission remains at the center of the program.

Competition projects ask students to do much more than create an attractive design. Teams must research a problem, make decisions, work within real-world constraints and communicate why their proposed solution deserves consideration. Projects are evaluated by industry professionals with an emphasis on creativity, clarity, completeness and feasibility, bringing the practical perspective of the profession directly into the student experience.

The result is both a national student competition and a workforce-development opportunity—one designed to help the next generation see the breadth of careers available across architecture, engineering, construction, design and the skilled trades.

Ready to Take on the 2027 Competition?

The 2027 CIRT Competition Handbook is available now and includes complete challenge descriptions, eligibility and rules, the Competition timeline, jury and evaluation information, prizes, submission requirements and resources for participating teams.

The Competition is open to teams officially registered with the ACE Mentor Program of America.

Explore the 2027 challenges, download the Competition Handbook and get started at cirt.org/competition.

We can’t wait to see what this year’s teams imagine, design and build.