The County Materials Family of Companies Sponsors Award-Winning UW-Madison Concrete Canoe Team

The County Materials Family of Companies recently sponsored the UW-Madison Concrete Canoe Team for the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition, in which the team took first place.

This event provides a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and refine their skills with concrete mix designs and project management challenges.

Designing the Canoe

The UW-Madison team, consisting of over 30 undergraduate students, spent more than six months conceptualizing, designing, developing their unique mix design, and constructing their canoe.

With a long history of success in the competition, the team distinguishes itself with a creative and innovative approach to its yearly concrete canoe design. This year, the team honored Harvey Littleton—a UW–Madison alumnus who’s considered the “father of the American Studio Glass Movement”—by naming their canoe Vitraux, a French word meaning stained glass.

Embodying this theme throughout the design, the canoe is made from a unique mix of multi‑colored concrete to honor Littleton’s colorful work, along with lightweight glass beads that reinforce the concrete and help the canoe float.

Taking First Place

The UW-Madison team presented their concrete canoe on April 17, 2026, at the ASCE Western Great Lakes Student Symposium at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, MN, where they took first place overall, first place in Technical Proposal, and first place in Final Product Prototype.

Their success at the regional competition earned them an invitation to the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships in June in Fairmont, West Virginia, where they will compete against top teams from across the country.

The County Materials Family of Companies is proud to support the next generation of skilled engineers.