The judges selected the finalists after evaluating proposals submitted by 17 MCAA student chapters. In addition to the four finalists, teams that submitted proposals were from:

Mark Rogers (West Chester Mechanical Contractors, Chester, Pa.), Ken Durr (Durr Mechanical Construction Inc., New York), and Matt Hahr (John J. Kirlin Inc., Rockville, Md.) served as the first-round judges for this year's competition.

A different panel of judges will evaluate the oral presentations. Each finalist team will have 20 minutes to convince the judges that they are the best qualified to perform the proposed work on the project - 15 minutes for a formal oral presentation, and 5 minutes of answering the judges' questions. Each team's standing will be determined solely on the basis of their performance on the oral competition.

The project is the mechanical systems renovation of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. John J. Kirlin Inc. performed the work in 2002, including replacement of air handlers and other equipment, piping and duct, controls and fixtures, as well as management of the installation to minimize disruption of the art gallery's operations. An addendum was issued for an allowance for a new sprinkler system. Each team received two CDs, one with more than 400 pages of background information, specifications, and requirements, and the other containing the project's CAD drawings. None of the information was altered for the competition.

As in past years, the prizes are as follows: $5,000 to the first place team; $2,500 to the second place team; and $1,000 to each of the other finalists. All finalists will also receive a trophy commemorating their achievement.

Publication date: 02/06/2006