Construction Archives | Building and Construction Technology

Enroll Now in Our Summer 2025 Online Courses

March 5, 2025May 13, 2025 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Our BCT Summer 2025 online courses are now available on UMass University+. These are open to you whether you are a matriculated student or not and can provide valuable skills as well as credits towards your major or minor. Want to complete a BCT Minor? You can use these courses for that. Available Courses: Sustainability in the Built Environment (BCT 150) We will explore the issues of sustainability from the perspective of the built environment, our history of construction and expansion, and buildings and how they interact with the natural environment. Students will be exposed to issues of human impacts on natural systems through the built environment and the variety of disciplines that are working to create a more sustainable future. (Gen.Ed. I) Construction Estimating (BCT 314) Any successful building construction project relies on accurate and consistent cost estimates. This course provides students with the skills and background to perform construction estimating, bidding, and cost management. Lectures will cover quantity take-off from construction documents and estimate costs for...

Spring 2025 BCT Lecture Series Announced

February 3, 2025January 31, 2025 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The start of a new semester brings with it a new series of public lectures. We are happy to announce the four speakers mentioned below, who will present on various current topics in the built environment as part of our Spring 2025 BCT Lecture Series. All lectures are open to the public and are held on Mondays from 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm in the Olver Design Building Room 170. Attendees can get continuing education credits (AIA/USGBC). Zoom options will be available, too. Want to get notified when these are? Sign up for our email list. Speakers Residential Construction: It’s Not Like Other JobsPatrick McCombe, Senior Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine02.10.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 (or Zoom) The Pretty Good House: Simplifying High Performance HomesDan Kolbert, General Contractor03.03.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 (or Zoom) Manage Energy & Moisture with Equal IntensityPeter Yost, Building-Wright03.31.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 (or Zoom) Locally Grown Homes: Buildings As A Climate SolutionGreg...

Sign up now for our Summer 2025 Pre-College Programs: BCT’s Building Lab & BCT’s Sustainability Lab

January 29, 2025February 7, 2025 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

BCT is this year again offering summer pre-college programs for high-schoolers that are interested in construction and in finding out how to make buildings sustainable! Rising 10th–12th graders get a feel for what college is like while earning two (2) college credits that can be applied towards the Building Construction Technology Program (BCT) at UMass, or others. Enroll NOW to save your child’s spot in these exciting programs! NEW this year: We are now offering TWO PROGRAMS. Both are two-week courses that can be taken as residential (including housing) or commuter options. The BCT BuildingLab is a two-week immersive pre-college program for high school students interested in exploring construction, building science, sustainability, engineering, building design, technology, and discovering related career paths. This program includes build projects, use of emergent technologies (drones, infrared cameras, air quality testing, AR/VR), and construction site tours.This program is offered July 13 – 26, 2025. The BCT SustainabilityLab is a two-week program on the UMass Amherst campus dedicated to investigating sustainability...

BCT Students’ Preconstruction Team wins First Place at ASC Region 1 Competition

November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

We are thrilled to announce that after a semester of hard work and dedication, BCT's amazing preconstruction student team, under the skillful guidance of Prof. Fernando Romero, have achieved their goal and brought home the first place trophy at the 34th Annual Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Student Competition and Conference in Albany, NY. Our student teams were able to secure 3rd place in 2021, 2nd place in 2022, and this year, we clinched the ASC competition and brought home the 1st place trophy. As Prof. Romero said: "I am incredibly proud of each and every one of my students who made this possible, and it is a true testament to our collective effort and commitment. Your outstanding performance was noticed, and the judges were thoroughly impressed by your fantastic presentation." Additionally, the UMass Commercial team's hard work and dedication earned them a commendable 4th-place finish. The team members were: Preconstruction: Jocey Krooks, Madison Mathieu, Connor Perley, Brendan Ware, Lucas Kubaska, Luke Fairbanks. Commercial:...

UMass Student Team Places Eighth at National Competition

March 7, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The 2023 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition for four-year programs was held at the 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2023. The UMass NAHB Student Chapter team placed 8th in the competition. The mission of the NAHB four-year student competition is to expose students to an in-depth residential construction project from concept to closing. Using real projects, students compete with other schools as they display their problem-solving abilities and learn more about homebuilding. This year’s competition team included 14 students from the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Isenberg School of Management. During the Fall semester, the students worked on developing a business proposal that included market analysis, product design, construction management, project management, financial and risk analysis, and sustainability related to a property in La Plata, MD. The students traveled to Las Vegas and presented their proposal to the judges and attended the International Builders’ Show, which is the housing industry’s...