EL PASO, Texas (December 5, 2018) – Guadalupe Chao Zambrano has been announced as the grand prize winner of Sundt Construction’s “Art of Building: A Design Competition.” Zambrano, an architecture student at Texas Tech University, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship to help with her spring tuition. 
“El Paso has a lot to offer, and we feel it is important to recognize and showcase our local talent,” said Joseph Riccillo, El Paso Project Director for the company’s Building Group, Southwest District. “Sundt has been hiring students from regional universities to utilize our local talent.”
Zambrano’s piece, titled “Cultural Symbiosis,” depicts the iconic Franklin Mountains and Scenic Drive. The hanging art piece was developed using wire and volcanic rocks and will be mounted to a steel beam in Sundt’s El Paso office, located in the heart of downtown at 909 Texas Ave.
“You have no idea how much this scholarship is helping me out,” said Zambrano, a junior in the El Paso-based College of Architecture. “It came at the right time as I need to pay for my spring tuition by the end of the year.” 
Zambrano said the volcanic rocks were used to represent each person in El Paso, “even though we are all different, we join together to create one community.” She colored the rocks a reddish-brown to depict Scenic Drive because it is a main artery into downtown El Paso, the heart of the city.
The four other finalists include: Marysol Chavira who received $3,000 for her “Integration” piece; recent Texas Tech University graduate Cynthia Escalante, who received $2,000 for her “Nuestra Frontera” piece; and Jesus Martinez and Armando Garcia, each of whom received $1,000 for their respective pieces.
Last spring, Sundt invited college students across the region to create imaginative and inspiring design pieces that celebrate creativity, opportunity and the El Paso community. Students from UTEP, El Paso Community College and Texas Tech University were encouraged to participate.
A design jury selected the five finalists and the grand prize winner. The jury included individuals from the art community, local business leaders and elected officials including: Dr. Paul Kortenaar of the El Paso Children’s Museum; Peter Svarzbein, District 1 Representative for the City of El Paso; Victoria Ramirez, director of the El Paso Museum of Art; and Miguel Fernandez, CEO of Transtelco.
About Sundt
Sundt Construction, Inc. (www.sundt.com) is one of the country’s largest and most respected general contractors. The 128-year-old firm specializes in building, transportation, industrial and concrete work and is owned entirely by its 2,000 employees. Sundt is distinguished by its diverse capabilities and experience, unique employee-ownership culture and depth of self-perform expertise in 13 major trades. Half of Sundt’s workforce is comprised of skilled craft professionals who, together with the company’s administrative employees, enable Sundt to fulfill its mission to be the most skilled builder in America. Sundt has 11 offices throughout Texas, Arizona, California and Utah and is currently ranked the country’s 65th largest construction company by ENR, the industry’s principal trade magazine.
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