FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
World of Concrete 2026 Registration Is Open ↗

Thirteenth annual NC State Sigmon Memorial Design Competition

Words: Lynn NashThe North Carolina State University team of “Enzo” Yi-Chang Liao, Nicole Peterson, Lydia Watt, and Michael Wengenroth has claimed the 2013 NCSU Sigmon Memorial Scholarship Masonry Design Award and will share a semester’s in-state tuition as their prize.

NCMCA Past President Doug Burton and Cary architect Mark Reyer served as jurors for the October 15th competition, which required the team to design and model a hypothetical masonry office building. The competition is part of Professor Patrick Rand’s “Architectural Construction Systems” class at North Carolina State University’s College of Design.

Twelve teams participated.

The Winners

Michael Wengenroth is from Cary and his degree program and year is “Master of Architecture 2015.” He plans to work as a registered architect.

Nicole Peterson is from Raleigh. Degree program and year: Environmental Design in Architecture, undergrad, 2015. Future / Career ambitions: “Work as a registered architect, gain knowledge in interior design, and own my own firm.”

Lydia Watt is from Raleigh. Degree program and year: Undergrad in Environmental Design in Architecture, 2015. Future / Career ambitions: To work as a registered architect and Disney “Imagineer.”

“Enzo” Yi-Chang Liao is from Taiwan. Degree program and year: Master of Architecture 2015. Future / Career ambitions: Work as a registered architect.

The team provided comments about their design intentions and how they were expressing masonry in the project: “Our brick cavity wall design builds on the concept of how brick used to function and its broadened versatility today. The facade’s overall organizations is inspired by a running bond pattern. Along the bottom of the facade, which is designed as a load bearing cavity wall, a pattern of extruded and subtracted bricks display the thickness of the load bearing wall. The pattern continues upward and transitions to voids; voids which demonstrate the thinness of a brick screen. As one walks through the entrance, he or she can experience the depth and texture of the surrounding brick. Once inside, an overhead series of brick vaults shows that brick is not limited to wall construction, but also has the capability of spanning.”

Finishing second was the team of Kadmiel Mutanga, Meredith Smith, Connor Flaherty, and Zhendong Ding.

The third place team was Dylan Thomson, Elizabeth Morgan, Zach Bradshaw, and Maryssa Timberlake.

Finishing in fourth place was the team of Kyle Semon, Courtney Richeson, Adam Dunn, and Brandon Porterfield.

The students in the second through fourth place teams received a selection of quality masonry tools as prizes and mementoes of their participation.

The scholarship is named in memory of David, Randy, and Dwayne Sigmon. 2013 marks the thirteenth year for the NC State/NCMCA design competition. The competition also takes place at Appalachian State University in Boone.
 0
Holding History Together: The Art of Lateral Restraint in Masonry Restoration
January 2026

The first thing you notice about an old masonry building isn’t always its beauty. Sometimes it’s the bow in a wall or the way time and the elements have tugged at the mortar joints. Every century-old structure carries its story in cracks, tilts, bows, and

Tiffany Tillema
Technical Talks
Read More
Stone Savvy: Helping Clients Choose Stone with Intent
January 2026

In today’s design environment, clients are surrounded by inspiration, endless images, samples, and styles that make choosing materials feel exciting and overwhelming all at once. Within that sea of options, stone carries weight. It defines first impressio

Sarah Lograsso
MAP Partner
Read More
MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Episode 36 Recap: Kim Spahn, CEO of the Concrete Masonry Checkoff
January 2026

On this episode of the MASONRY STRONG Podcast, Justin got to sit down for a conversation with Kim Spahn to talk about the Concrete Masonry Checkoff, how Kim first got involved in this industry, and much more.

Justin Stengel
The MASONRY STRONG Podcast
Read More
From Day One to Long-Term Success: Onboarding Strategies for Contractors
January 2026

The construction industry is facing one of its toughest challenges in decades. Companies are struggling to find enough skilled workers while competing to keep the ones they have. At the same time, projects are becoming more complex, deadlines are tighter,

Matt Dibara
Business Management
Read More