This year, UC Berkeley’s Cal Concrete Canoe team took Botanical to the 2026 ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition at the Civil Engineering Student Championships in Fairmont, West Virginia. After placing 1st at the Mid-Pacific regional competition, the team advanced to the national championships, competing against 25 other regional finalists from across the U.S. and internationally.
At Nationals, Berkeley finished 8th overall, with strong performances on the water, including 4th in the men’s slalom, 3rd in the men’s sprint and 7th in the co-ed sprint. Botanical, weighing just 176 pounds and inspired by the resilience of California’s native ecosystems, represented months of design, materials testing, construction and teamwork.
The Concrete Canoe Competition has a long history. While student concrete canoe races date back to the 1960s, ASCE’s first official society-wide competition was held in 1988. Today, the competition brings together structural and materials engineering, hydrodynamics, project management, technical communication and racing.
At UC Berkeley, the team puts the principles of the College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) into practice, giving students the opportunity to move from engineering concepts to a full-scale, floating structure. From concrete mix design and structural analysis to construction and sustainability, Concrete Canoe offers hands-on experience that complements the classroom and develops leadership and teamwork skills.
Congratulations to the Cal Concrete Canoe team on another trip to Nationals and a strong 2026 season!!
Cal Concrete Canoe team takes Botanical to the 2026 ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition
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