Build a hospital on a mountain slope in Vail. Construct a bridge on the Canadian border. Raise four residential towers over an archaeology site in San Francisco -- it's all in a day's work for Brigham Young University construction management students.

Eight student teams traveled to Reno, Nev., this past weekend for a regional competition held by the Associated Schools of Construction and returned with six trophies.

The competition challenged students to solve complex construction problems within an 18-hour time limit.

"A common misconception here on campus is that we're training our students to be carpenters," said Jay Newitt, program chair. "It's more of a business management program."

Adam McKinnon, vice president of the CM student association, said his commercial building group worked on plans for two and a half months. His project, a mountain hospital, presented issues such as wildlife preservation.

At the regional event, McKinnon's commercial team placed second. The Heavy Civil team placed first with its plan for a Canadian bridge. The Design Build Team took first for its science building at a California college.

Nationally, BYU placed first in the LEED building event, which focuses on environmentally friendly construction, beating construction school giants like Arizona State University.

At a similar competition in Orlando last weekend, professor Jay Christofferson also was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders as the outstanding educator of the year.

Ranked groups at the regional level will now go on to compete in San Antonio in late March against the No. 1 schools in all seven regions.

Kate McNeil can be reached at 344-2549 or kmcneil@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C3.