On December 7, over a hundred engineers, architects, and construction professionals and students worked in teams to build 14 incredible replicas of iconic structures – from Santa Monica Pier to Snoopy’s Dog House – that are now on display at Discovery Cube Orange County. The third annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge was one to remember, as visitors to the Discovery Cube watched on in awe as the teams built their masterpieces entirely out of gingerbread, candy, and frosting for five hours.

Each structure was handcrafted with care and everything was made on site, including each carved pumpkin gingerly placed upon the Haunted Holiday Mansion and each icicle hanging from the eaves of the Geisel Library.

The teams came into the day with carefully drawn blueprints and a plan laid out for the five hours of construction as visitors, including some friends and family, came out to show their support.

“It was unlikely we were going to win in any of the aesthetic categories,” one of the Team Burj Frostifa (University of Southern California) members said, “So we went for height.” Standing at nearly seven feet tall, the replica of the Burj Khalifa won for “Tallest Structure.”

For others, the design played a bigger part. The Hayao P Moorizaki team from Walter P Moore—one of four teams bringing an animated film to life—built the bath house from “Spirited Away,” saying that “[We] really wanted to get it right, [we] were worried that nobody would know what it was.” 

Team Hilti North America brought the holiday cheer as they traded construction hard hats for sparkly Christmas tree hats and Team Cal Poly Pomona donned reindeer antlers. 

Cal Poly Pomona won the “Team Spirit Award” for a lofty rendition of Rapunzel’s Tower from the “Tangled” movie. “We cooked,” they celebrated as they put on the final touches to the tower: a strand of long blonde hair from a wig meant to resemble Rapunzel’s braid.

The final structures are on display at the Discovery Cube OC until January 5, and a People’s Choice category is now open for visitors to vote for their favorites.

The 2024 Gingerbread Challenge winners are:

• Best Decorated: Coco's Marigold Bridge by Team Un Poco Loco of ICC-ES

• Best In Show: The Geisel Library by the Team the Grouchy Grinch Gang of Brandow & Johnston & NAC

• Best Replica Building: Haunted Mansion Holiday by Hohbach-Lewin & HMC Architects

• Most Creative Original Design: "Only In SoCal" by Team Hilti North America

• President’s Award: Deetz/Maitland Residence Team MiTek/SidePlate

• Tallest Structure: Burj Khalifa by Team Burj Frostifa, USC EERI-SEAOSC sponsored by AISC

• Team Spirit Award: Rapunzel's Tower by Team Cal Poly Pomona sponsored by Concrete West Construction

We can’t wait to bring this back next year with even more amazing feats of engineering and gingerbread magic! View all event photos here.