3. Think creatively for better designs

Though following too many creative threads on architectural style or decor can lead your gingerbread edifice to collapse, Parrish says creativity can also be a strength.

“(Gingerbread house builders) can learn about which sorts of ingredients lend the most stability, as well as shapes that best support height,” she said. “For instance, a triangular base may allow you to build up higher than a square base would permit.”

Try different materials and structural shapes and designs to find what works best.

Optional: Stick with the budget

While your opulent palace of gingerbread might stand strong using these tips, students competing in the tournament were also encouraged to create a cost-effective design with graham crackers, icing and candies for decoration.

Contending with cost constraints and limited materials mirrors the challenge construction professionals face when tasked with designing within a budget. So the competition judges scored the competitors in five categories: cost of materials, appearance, craftsmanship, color and design.

About 40 students participated in the Advancing Women in Construction student organization’s semester-end gingerbread tournament. Students were separated into eight teams at the beginning of the event and given 45 minutes to create the best design based on cost, appearance, craftsmanship, color and design. Photographer: Alisha Mendez/ASU

And our winners are ...

Judged by Del E. Webb School of Construction alumni, competitors worked in teams formed at the event and “showed great teamwork and creativity throughout the tournament,” Thwe said.

The first-place winners, with the highest marks in all five categories, were construction management majors Jay Nguyen, Shandiin Yessilth, Paige Wildin and Stettler Anderson, along with Nicholas McDonald, who is studying real estate development in ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business in addition to construction management.

Wildin says her team's victory came after their initial strategy led to some broken graham crackers.

“One unsuccessful strategy we had was assembling the floors of the gingerbread house on the house’s structure because the lower graham crackers would break from the pressure we applied from above,” Wildin said. “This caused us to assemble and apply pressure to the floors in parts on the side and then gently place them one onto the other.”

Nguyen says they avoided overspending by planning out the design ahead of time and only took structural items they needed, saving much of their budget for decorative items.

“Our education played a role in our building method, choices and teamwork,” Nguyen said.

Most competitors were students in the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the School for Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the six Fulton Schools, rounded out by a couple math majors from ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“Students not only had a chance to apply the concepts they’ve studied throughout the semester,” Thwe said, “but also to have fun and celebrate the end of the semester while building these gingerbread houses.” 

Top photo: Arizona State University construction students offer tips for the best holiday gingerbread house. Photographer: Alisha Mendez/ASU

Monique Clement

Communications specialist , Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

480-727-1958 monique.clement@asu.edu