01
Structural Design
Geometry, member sizing, and connections — optimized in analysis software and checked by hand.
Greatness,Built Memberby Member.
UBCO’s competitive steel bridge team — designing, fabricating, and assembling precision steel structures at the national level.
Backed by Industry
Construction Speed is judged in the seconds between a referee’s whistle and the last bolt seated. Elegance earns no points — only being right the first time.
In Their Own Words
Why we keep doing this.
Bridges come apart at the end of every season. The team doesn’t. Here’s what members say they take with them.
Benn Jethro Sia
Structural Lead ’28
“
Working in S-Frame to model and analyze our bridge gave me hands-on software experience that I simply couldn’t get from coursework alone. Being able to walk into a co-op interview and say I’d designed a real competition structure — and used industry-standard tools to do it — made all the difference. Steel Bridge didn’t just teach me structural analysis, it made me job-ready.
Benn Jethro Sia — Structural Lead, BASc Civil Engineering ’28
“
Cold-emailing and meeting with sponsors taught me how to communicate value to professionals I’d never met before. Learning how to craft a pitch, handle rejection, and build genuine relationships with industry partners gave me a level of professional confidence that no classroom could replicate. Those conversations shaped the way I approach networking today.
Lion Alaji — Sponsorship Director, BASc Civil Engineering ’28
Lion Alaji
Sponsorship Director ’28
Ready to build your career while building bridges?
The Team
More Than a Team.
A student-run engineering design team at UBC Okanagan, going head-to-head with universities from across Canada.
Every year we design a steel bridge from scratch, fabricate it by hand, and race the clock to assemble it at the national championship.
Founded at UBC Okanagan in 2024, the team pulls students from civil, mechanical, electrical, and beyond. There are no spectators here — every member works the design, the steel, or the timed build that decides it all.
We run out of UBCO’s engineering facilities in Kelowna, BC, on a build cycle that starts in September and ends on the competition floor each spring.
2024Founded
70+Members
2×Nationals
4+Disciplines
What We Do
02
Steel Fabrication
Cutting, drilling, and welding structural steel to tolerances measured in fractions of a millimetre.
03
Race-Day Assembly
Dozens of timed runs until the build is muscle memory and every second is accounted for.
Around the Team
Every bolt seated by hand.
Setting up before the run.
The full span, end to end.
Design Cycle
From Blueprint to Bridge.
From the first sketch to the final whistle — how a bridge comes together every season.
01
Design
Structural Design
Every season starts with the rulebook. We turn constraints into geometry — modelling the structure, sizing members, and detailing connections in analysis software and by hand.
02
Build
Steel Fabrication
Members cut, drill, and weld structural steel to spec. Fractions of a millimetre decide whether the pieces fit when the pressure is on.
03
Practice
Assembly Practice
We run the full build over and over — refining the order, assigning roles, and shaving seconds off every attempt.
04
Compete
Competition Day
At the CNSBC the bridge is scored on stiffness, deflection, weight, speed, and looks — with the clock running from the first whistle.
The Roster
This Season’s Lineup.
Meet the students leading UBCO Steel Bridge — current and past seasons.
Executive
Structural
Fabrication
Design Leads
Finance
Outreach & Sponsorships
Jobanpreet Singh
Sponsorship Director
BASc Civil Engineering '28
Field Notes
Season Log.
A look at what the team has been building, practising, and competing in.
Our inaugural season took a brand-new team to its first CNSBC, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in May 2025.
The Debut
Our first bridge and our first nationals — the whole crew behind the rail.
Highlights
Competition
Debut at the CNSBC
Our first national competition, in Winnipeg, against universities from across Canada.
Timed Assembly
On the Clock
Months of practice paid off in a clean, coordinated build on competition day.
Team
Representing UBCO
UBC Okanagan’s first-ever appearance at the Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition.
Season two brought a brand-new bridge and a sharper return to the Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition.
From the Floor
Down the line — every member moved by hand.
Our corner of the arena before the whistle.
Four letters across the deck: U-B-C-O.
The names that got us here.
Every member machined, marked, and ready.
Laid out and indexed before the clock starts.
Industry Partners
Backed by Industry.
The organizations that make it possible for UBCO Steel Bridge to design, fabricate, and compete.
Gold Sponsors
GOLD SPONSOR
CISC-ICCA
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
Canada's national voice for the structural steel industry since 1930. CISC-ICCA advances the use of steel in construction through technical resources, education, and advocacy — supporting engineers, fabricators, and contractors from coast to coast.
GOLD SPONSOR
Altar Metal Fab
Altar Metal Fab Co. Ltd.
A trusted Kelowna-based steel fabrication shop known for precision craftsmanship and a commitment to quality. Altar Metal has been an invaluable local partner, providing our team with direct fabrication support and hands-on industry mentorship throughout our build season.
GOLD SPONSOR
Emil Anderson
Emil Anderson Construction Inc.
One of British Columbia's most established infrastructure contractors, Emil Anderson has been building roads, bridges, and civil works across the province since 1938. Their multi-disciplined expertise and deep roots in BC construction make them an ideal partner for a team focused on real-world structural engineering.
GOLD SPONSOR
SEABC
Structural Engineers Association of BC
The Structural Engineers Association of British Columbia promotes excellence, professionalism, and public safety in structural engineering practice across BC. SEABC's support of student teams like ours reflects their commitment to developing the next generation of structural engineers.
GOLD SPONSOR
Ledcor
Ledcor Group of Companies
One of North America's most diversified construction and engineering companies, Ledcor operates across building, civil, industrial, and pipeline sectors. Their backing of UBCO Steel Bridge reflects a genuine investment in emerging engineering talent and the future of Canada's construction workforce.
GOLD SPONSOR
Reliable Tube
Reliable Tube Inc.
A proudly Canadian structural steel supplier with over 35 years of expertise serving Western Canada. Reliable Tube provides the hollow structural sections and steel products that form the backbone of our bridge designs — their product knowledge and reliability are critical to our success on competition day.
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 UBCO Steel Bridge gives your organization direct exposure to motivated engineering students.
Connect
Get Involved.
Whether you want to join the team, discuss sponsorship, or simply learn more — we’d like to hear from you.
Location
UBC Okanagan Campus
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Follow Us
Stay up to date with build progress.
Join the Team
We recruit at the start of each academic year. No fabrication experience required.