Clouston Archives | Page 3 of 7 | Building and Construction Technology

UMass Amherst Students Build Timber Grid Shell as Pop-up Exhibition on Fine Arts Center Plaza

May 5, 2016March 12, 2018 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

After a lot of work, the timber gridshell on the Fine Arts Center plaza is now finally up and open to the public. This multidisciplinary design-build project, led by BCT faculty Peggi Clouston and supported by BCT adjunct faculty John Fabel (and many others), involved many students from across UMass. You can find more information in the official press release (below) and on the accompanying website: AMHERST, Mass. – A massive and intricate wooden dome temporarily adorning the plaza of the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was engineered and constructed by UMass students over two semesters as part of a wood design studio class. Known in technical circles as a timber grid shell, the structure is the end product of a course taught by Peggi Clouston, associate professor in the building and construction technology program at the university. Thirty feet in diameter, the 3,500-pound shell rises to 11 feet at the center. The 52 longest laths in the...

Clouston featured in Suffolk Construction video about Design Building

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

A new video and blog post on the Suffolk Building Smart Blog shows the construction of the new, engineered wood UMass Amherst Design Building. It features interviews with BCT's Dr. Peggi Clouston, as well as Tom Chung, Principal at Leers-Weinzapfel Associates and Robert Malczyk, Principal at Equilibrium Consulting. It also shows the construction site from various angles, including from above! https://videos.files.wordpress.com/qI2r6Jqm/umass-design-building3_dvd.mp4 Source: Suffolk blog post...

Leander Bathon to speak on world’s first wooden wind turbine

February 21, 2016March 12, 2018 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

BCT and the UMass IGERT Wind Energy Program are hosting a visit by world-acclaimed timber engineer and innovator, Professor Leander Bathon, from the University of Applied Sciences Wiesbaden, Germany. He holds patents on several timber connectors including the systems used for the World’s first wooden wind turbine, the free floating wood stair at UBC, and our very own UMass Design Building floors and shear walls. Please join us for his talk on Thursday March 10 at 4pm in Holdsworth Room 211. See link below for more information: http://tinyurl.com/zm968wm...

BCT Program Wins 2015 USGBC West Branch “Green Giants” Award!

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The UMass Amherst Building and Construction Technology program was honored on December 1st, 2015 at a joint WMAIA/USGBC event at Hampshire College for our efforts in educating future leaders in green building and sustainability. Program director Alexander Schreyer and Associate Professor Peggi Clouston accepted the award on behalf of the BCT program. This is a biannual award and we are very proud to have received it this year. From the program description: The Green Giants program honors the work of trades people, educators, and owners/program directors who help build, teach about, envision and fund green buildings in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. This program is intentionally distinct from other building awards in that it honors a wider range of participants in the sustainable building industry of our region. This is the second year of the West Branch Biannual Green Giants Awards program. This award reflects the amazing work of our faculty, adjunct faculty, and our student groups. They are all engaged on a daily...

Clouston Panelist in Women in Design Symposium at ABX Conference

November 2, 2015November 3, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

BCT faculty member Peggi Clouston will be one of the panelists during the prestigious keynote breakfast at the Women in Design Symposium at the ABX conference on 11/18. ABX is an architecture-focused conference, held annually in Boston. From the announcement: This program includes a keynote breakfast, a forward-thinking brainstorming session, and the much-anticipated WID Awards Ceremony & Luncheon. How might the deepening relationship between research and design lead to practical applications? How might architects inform research methodologies within their own practice to inform innovation in the larger building industry? This year, Women in Design have invited four practitioners from design and academic backgrounds to hold an eye-opening discussion about the blending of research and design and how it is evolving the design industry in new and exciting ways. Enjoy breakfast with colleagues and hear the panel tackle this timely topic. Speakers Dr. Peggi Clouston Ph.D. M.A.Sc.(Eng) P.Eng. Associate Professor University of Massachusetts, Amherst Billie Faircloth AIA, LEED AP BD+C Partner KieranTimberlake Mimi Love Principal Utile, Inc. J. Meejin...