01
Structural Design
We work out the geometry, size the members, and design the connections in analysis software, then check the numbers by hand.
Greatness,Built Memberby Member.
UBC Okanagan’s student steel bridge team. Every year we design and build a bridge from scratch, then race to put it together at the national competition.
Backed by Industry
One of the scored events is construction speed. The clock starts on the referee’s whistle and runs until the bridge is standing, so we practise the build until it’s quick and clean.
In Their Own Words
Why we keep doing this.
Each bridge gets taken apart at the end of the season. What people learn building it sticks around. Two members on what they got out of it.
Benn Jethro Sia
Structural Lead ’28
“
I used S-Frame to model and analyze our bridge, which gave me real software experience I wasn’t getting in class. In co-op interviews I could say I’d designed an actual competition structure with the tools the industry uses. That went a long way.
Benn Jethro Sia — Structural Lead, BASc Civil Engineering ’28
“
Cold-emailing sponsors and sitting down with them taught me how to explain why the team was worth backing. I learned to put together a pitch, deal with people saying no, and build real relationships with industry. I use that every time I network now.
Lion Alaji — Sponsorship Director, BASc Civil Engineering ’28
Lion Alaji
Sponsorship Director ’28
Thinking about joining? We recruit every September.
The Team
Who We Are.
A student engineering team at UBC Okanagan. We go up against schools from across Canada.
Every year we design a steel bridge from scratch, build it by hand, and put it together against the clock at nationals.
We started at UBC Okanagan in 2024, with members from civil, mechanical, electrical, and other programs. Everyone works on something real, whether that’s the design, the fabrication, or the timed build at competition.
We work out of UBCO’s engineering facilities in Kelowna, BC. The build cycle runs from September to the competition each spring.
2024Founded
70+Members
3Bridges Built
4+Disciplines
What We Do
02
Steel Fabrication
We cut, drill, and weld the steel ourselves, to tolerances of a fraction of a millimetre.
03
Race-Day Assembly
We run the assembly dozens of times until the build is fast and everyone knows their job.
Around the Team
Putting the bridge together by hand.
Setting up before the run.
The full span, end to end.
Design Cycle
How a Bridge Comes Together.
Each year runs through the same four stages, from the first sketch to competition day.
01
Design
Structural Design
Every season starts with the rulebook. We turn its constraints into a design, modelling the structure and sizing members in analysis software and by hand.
02
Build
Steel Fabrication
We cut, drill, and weld the steel to spec. A fraction of a millimetre off and the pieces won’t line up on competition day.
03
Practice
Assembly Practice
We run the full build over and over, sorting out the order, assigning roles, and getting faster each time.
04
Compete
Competition Day
At the CNSBC, judges score the bridge on stiffness, deflection, weight, build speed, and appearance, with the clock running from the first whistle.
Leadership
The Exec Team.
The students who run the team, this season and last.
Executive
Structural
Fabrication
Design Leads
Finance
Outreach & Sponsorships
Jobanpreet Singh
Sponsorship Director
BASc Civil Engineering '28
Field Notes
Gallery.
What the team has been up to, on and off the competition floor.
In our second year, the team made its first trip to the CNSBC, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in May 2025. We didn’t keep much from year one, so the log starts here.
The Debut
Highlights
Competition
Debut at the CNSBC
Our first nationals, in Winnipeg, against schools from across Canada.
Timed Assembly
On the Clock
Months of practice showed in a clean build on competition day.
Team
Representing UBCO
UBC Okanagan’s first-ever appearance at the Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition.
Year three meant a new bridge and a return to the Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition, plus a full year of building, socials, and events in between.
The Year in Photos
Industry Partners
Backed by Industry.
The companies and groups that help us design, build, and compete.
Platinum Sponsors
PLATINUM SPONSOR
Altar Metal Fab
Altar Metal Fab Co. Ltd.
A Kelowna steel fabrication shop. Altar has backed the team directly with fabrication support and hands-on advice through our build season.
PLATINUM SPONSOR
Reliable Tube
Reliable Tube Inc.
A Canadian structural steel supplier serving Western Canada for over 35 years. Reliable Tube provides the hollow structural sections our bridge is built from.
Gold Sponsors
GOLD SPONSOR
CISC-ICCA
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
Canada’s industry body for structural steel, around since 1930. CISC-ICCA supports engineers, fabricators, and contractors across the country.
GOLD SPONSOR
Emil Anderson
Emil Anderson Construction Inc.
A BC infrastructure contractor that has built roads, bridges, and civil works across the province since 1938.
GOLD SPONSOR
SEABC
Structural Engineers Association of BC
The Structural Engineers Association of British Columbia. SEABC supports structural engineering across the province, including student teams like ours.
GOLD SPONSOR
Ledcor
Ledcor Group of Companies
A large North American construction and engineering company working across building, civil, industrial, and pipeline projects.
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
BRONZE SPONSOR
Associated Engineering
Associated Engineering Group Ltd.
BRONZE SPONSOR
Glotman Simpson
Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers
BRONZE SPONSOR
Wildstone Construction
Wildstone Construction & Forestry Ltd.
BRONZE SPONSOR
UBC Okanagan
University of British Columbia Okanagan
BRONZE SPONSOR
SUO
Students’ Union of UBC Okanagan
Become a Sponsor
Sponsoring the team puts your name in front of engineering students, and on the bridge we take to nationals.
Connect
Get Involved.
Want to join, sponsor the team, or just ask a question? Send us a note.
Location
UBC Okanagan Campus
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Follow Us
Follow along with the build.
Join the Team
We recruit at the start of each academic year. No fabrication experience required.