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

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

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...
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Clouston featured in Suffolk Construction video about Design Building

Clouston featured in Suffolk Construction video about Design Building

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...
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BCT’s NAHB student group in the news with competition prep

BCT’s NAHB student group in the news with competition prep

by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed
BCT's NAHB student group made the news yesterday on local TV-station WWLP with a report about their competition participation at the upcoming International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. As part of the Residential Construction Management Competition, they will get to practice the managerial and technical skills they developed while studying at UMass. (Source: http://wwlp.com/2016/01/12/umass-students-to-compete-in-national-building-competition/) We wish them all the best and good luck! If you would like to learn more about the NAHB student group, visit their page on our site or contact their BCT faculty advisor, Ben Weil....
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BCT’s Ben Weil discusses Ice Dams on Boston.com

BCT’s Ben Weil discusses Ice Dams on Boston.com

by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed
Ben Weil, BCT's extension faculty member in building energy, was called upon recently by Boston.com to discuss the ever-popular winter topic of ice dams. The following article features his very helpful tips for avoiding this common winter nuisance: Ice dam basics: How to prevent them and avoid a lot of costly water damage For more on the topic, also check out our other article on this site: Preventing Ice Dams....
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UMass celebrates new Design Building’s construction

UMass celebrates new Design Building’s construction

by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed
On Friday, October 16th, 2015, UMass campus officials, local politicians, faculty and students celebrated a belated "ground-breaking" for the new UMass Design Building. This event was covered by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Republican, and WWLP. UMass University Relations also produced the video shown below, in which the chancellor and the three program and department leaders elaborate on their vision for this new collaborative academic space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENOuRscC6H0 We in BCT are of course tremendously proud of the fact that this building will be the most technologically advanced heavy-timber structure in the eastern US, which makes it a showcase for sustainable building with wood in the region and far beyond. It even includes wood-concrete composite technology that was researched right here in our program by Peggi Clouston et al. In a steel-dominated construction environment, this would not have been possible without the vision and support of many people. Those include BCT faculty Peggi Clouston and Alex Schreyer, former congressman John Olver, state representatives Stan Rosenberg and Ellen Story, and UMass administration with chancellor Kumble...
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