2017 NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF) CAD/Hand Drafting Competition for High School Students

Written By: Joanna Opena

​Question: What do you get when you put industry professionals – architects, engineers, contractors, local plan reviewers, and a retired building inspector – in a room together on a beautiful Saturday morning in Las Vegas? Answer: Judges for a CAD/Hand Drafting Competition for high school students, of course!

On Saturday, March 18, 2017 the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Las Vegas Chapter #74 held their annual local level CAD/Hand Drafting Competition for high school students. Because we know how much our Las Vegas YMF members love redlining plans, a few members volunteered their time to be judges for 4 hours. This year’s design problem was a new free-standing building that shall meet the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and would be home to a dental clinic located between a residential neighborhood and commercial district. The volunteers judged about 80 high school junior and senior submittals. Each plan set required a design narrative statement, site plan, floor plan, electrical plan, exterior elevations, building section, and 2 optional drawings from a selected list.

The level of detail, cleanliness of the plans, and creativity of these young bright minds was outstanding. These students work all year long on this project and their hard work is reflective on their plans. First time and seasoned judges were blown away as usual – As one volunteer judge mentioned, it’s the reason I keep coming back each year. As industry professionals moving up in our careers, it’s nice to remember our drafting grassroots every once in a while and the integral role it plays in converting our designs into technical drawings and documents.
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For those interested in learning more about NAWIC and other volunteer opportunities please visit the Las Vegas Chapter #74 website http://lasvegasnawic.org/about-nawic/.